Musk orders federal workers to justify jobs or resign

Elon Musk, billionaire adviser to Donald Trump, has declared that all U.S. federal employees must justify their work or risk losing their jobs. The announcement came just hours after Trump urged him to be “more aggressive” in reducing government spending.

“All federal employees will shortly receive an e-mail requesting to understand what they got done last week. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation,” Musk wrote on X.

A copy of the email, obtained by AFP, asked workers to submit “approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week.” The message was sent by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) under the subject line, “What did you do last week?” Employees were given until 11:59 p.m. Monday to respond, though the email did not explicitly state that noncompliance would result in termination. OPM has yet to comment on the directive.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union representing federal workers, swiftly condemned the move. National president Everett Kelley criticized Musk and the Trump administration, stating, “It is cruel and disrespectful to hundreds of thousands of veterans who are wearing their second uniform in the civil service to be forced to justify their job duties to this out-of-touch, privileged, unelected billionaire who has never performed one single hour of honest public service in his life.” The union vowed to fight any unlawful terminations.

Many federal employees have been advised by their agencies not to respond to the email until further instruction. The National Treasury Employees Union echoed this guidance. A physician at the Department of Veterans Affairs, who received the message, dismissed the requirement, telling AFP, “I have so much work to do, I am not going to neglect actual patient care for this drama.”

Musk later downplayed the requirement, clarifying on X that the bar was “very low” and that “An e-mail with some bullet points that make any sense at all is acceptable!”

Trump, who has appointed Musk to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has tasked him with slashing public spending and eliminating what he calls government waste. On Saturday, the former president praised Musk’s efforts but urged him to push harder. “He’s doing a great job, but I would like to see him get more aggressive,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Remember, we have a country to save.”

As part of the latest cost-cutting measures, the U.S. Defense Department announced Friday that it will reduce its civilian workforce by at least 5 percent starting next week.