Recently, US federal workers received an email from the government urging them to detail their weekly accomplishments or risk resignation. This directive, linked to the Trump administration's cost-cutting campaign and spearheaded by Elon Musk, has ignited controversy among union representatives and government departments regarding its implications for employees.
Musk Demands Weekly Achievements from Federal Employees or Faces Resignation
Musk Demands Weekly Achievements from Federal Employees or Faces Resignation
In a contentious move, Elon Musk's email request for federal employees to account for their weekly accomplishments sparks backlash from unions and government officials.
In a provocative move, federal employees across the United States received an email on Saturday mandating them to list their achievements from the past week or face potential resignation. This communication comes from the Trump administration's commitment to streamline the federal workforce, as stated by prominent billionaire Elon Musk, who oversees the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (Doge).
The email request, timed closely with a speech by Trump at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), included a subject line reading, "What did you do last week?" and called on employees to provide a brief summary in five bullet points, carefully avoiding disclosing any classified information. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) confirmed the authenticity of this memo, prompting a wave of reactions from the workforce and federal unions.
Opposing this directive, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union representing federal workers, labeled the message as "cruel and disrespectful." Union President Everett Kelley criticized Musk's approach, highlighting the disregard for the invaluable services federal employees provide and warned of legal action against any unlawful terminations.
Musk responded to the gathering controversy on the X platform, reporting an influx of accomplishment submissions and asserting that "these individuals should be considered for promotion." He claimed that many government employees were not doing enough work, implying fraud in the system without providing evidence.
The memo's reception varied across different government departments; FBI Director Kash Patel urged personnel to "pause any responses," emphasizing that the FBI's review processes should be independent. This sentiment was echoed by the State Department, which announced that it would address the matter internally rather than through OPM.
Moreover, amidst the backdrop of Trump’s remarks advocating jobs cuts and efficiency during his CPAC address, thousands of federal employees have been terminated in recent weeks from notable agencies like the IRS and FAA, echoing Musk's previous management style on social media platform X, where he had issued similar ultimatums. Both Musk and Trump praise the ongoing cuts as essential to a more competent federal workforce. The repercussions of this latest initiative remain to be seen, as frustration and tension grow among federal employees and union representatives.
