Federal Workers Faced Ultimatum: Document Accomplishments or Resign

As the Trump administration, influenced by Elon Musk, pushes for major federal workforce changes, an email demanding workers summarize their weekly accomplishments has sparked controversy and concern among government employees.

In a recent move that underscores the Trump administration's approach to the federal workforce, federal employees received an email on Saturday demanding they document their achievements from the previous week or face resignation. This initiative follows billionaire Elon Musk's public declaration on social media that employees would "shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week." Musk further emphasized that non-compliance would be regarded as a resignation, aligning with his wider agenda to slash government spending through job cuts.

The email, crafted by a sender marked as HR, arrived after Trump's address at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and bore the subject line, "What did you do last week?" Employees were instructed to provide a summary of their accomplishments in five bullet points, explicitly excluding classified information, before Monday at midnight. The authenticity of these emails has been affirmed by the Office of Personnel Management, which confirmed that the directive is part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to ensure an efficient federal workforce.

Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, slammed the email as "cruel and disrespectful," promising to contest any unlawful dismissals resulting from this initiative. Earlier in the day, at CPAC, Trump criticized federal employees for their lack of in-office presence and advocated for significant cuts.

While the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) isn't a formally recognized entity, Musk's influence has brought about extensive changes to the federal structure with White House backing. Thousands of federal workers have been laid off in recent weeks from the IRS, Pentagon, Federal Aviation Administration, and other agencies.

This latest directive mirrors Musk's tactics post Twitter acquisition in 2022, where employees were faced with ultimatum-style pressure concerning their commitment to the workforce. Trump has endorsed Musk's aggressive cost-cutting, publicly praising his efforts to reduce federal government size and urging him to escalate these measures further.

The implications of this email are significant, raising questions about the future of civil service employment and the ongoing relationship between the federal workforce and the current administration.