Musk demands federal employees justify their roles immediately or face termination — "explain their work immediately — or be let go"
On Saturday afternoon, federal employees were notified via email and were assigned a deadline of Monday night.
TroibNews 
All federal government employees are now required to report on their activities from the previous week or risk termination, according to Elon Musk, who made the announcement on Saturday.
Musk shared on X that employees would be receiving an email “shortly” asking for an overview of their accomplishments from the past week. He emphasized that a lack of response would be interpreted as a resignation.
The email, with the subject line “What did you do last week?” was sent just two hours after Musk’s post, as confirmed by PMG. It requests that employees reply with “approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week and CC your manager.”
Employees are cautioned against sharing any classified information. They have until the end of the day Monday to respond, little more than two days after the email was sent. The email did not threaten any specific consequences for non-compliance.
It remains uncertain what legal authority, if any, Musk may be invoking.
This announcement follows shortly after President Donald Trump praised Musk on Truth Social for his initiatives with the Department of Government Efficiency in reducing the federal government's size, urging him to “get more aggressive.”
“REMEMBER, WE HAVE A COUNTRY TO SAVE,” Trump wrote.
Michael Fallings, an attorney specializing in federal employment law, told PMG that Musk’s actions as described are likely illegal.
“I don't believe it would be legal, and I don't think he really understands right now how he will even do what he's threatened to do,” Fallings stated.
The email appears to have circulated widely among federal employees. Recipients include staff from the State Department, the National Institutes of Health, the General Services Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Food and Drug Administration, and various other agencies.
This government-wide audit of employee performance comes on the heels of weeks during which the Trump administration has been cutting federal agencies and dismissing probationary staff throughout the government.
Following the Office of Personnel Management's issuance of a deferred resignation offer — known as the “Fork in the Road” email — over 77,000 employees opted to leave, according to the White House, which equates to a 3 percent reduction in the government workforce.
DOGE quickly moved to orchestrate the dismissal of thousands of employees from multiple agencies, targeting those in their “probationary” period as part of a strategy to streamline the workforce.
This week, Trump secured a legal victory after a judge granted Musk continued access to important data and permitted extensive layoffs.
The president subsequently signed an executive order on Tuesday directing agencies to collaborate with DOGE to prepare for “large-scale reductions in force.”
Additional firings are anticipated, as the Pentagon recently announced plans to cut 5,400 positions, with other agencies indicating ongoing job reductions as well.
Spokespeople for the White House and DOGE did not respond immediately to requests for comments regarding Musk’s announcement on Saturday.
Fallings advised federal employees who receive the email to consult their supervisor and comply with the request. He warned that responding may be particularly challenging for those on approved leave or without email access.
The American Federation of Government Employees, the union representing federal workers, criticized Musk and Trump for their “utter disdain for federal employees” and pledged to contest any “unlawful terminations.”
“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,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley stated.
Federal employees expressed outrage over Musk's directive. An official from the Department of Justice, who requested anonymity to avoid retribution, pointed out that the email came from an "external" server and indicated, "we cannot legally respond to this" due to the handling of classified information.
“This email looks exactly like all of the phishing email examples that federal employees see in training over and over again," remarked an employee from the Commerce Department, also granted anonymity, adding, "I’m not responding to it."
Dissent from Democratic lawmakers has already emerged, with calls for employees to disregard Musk’s directive. Rep. Sean Casten asserted that Musk has “no authority” to implement his demands, suggesting, “This is a good opportunity for mass civil disobedience.”
The targeting of federal employees for termination fits within the broader strategy of Trump and Musk to reshape the federal government, which includes a focus on dismantling programs aimed at promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Trump has also issued sweeping executive orders to review all government regulations and bring independent agencies under White House oversight.
Concerns have surfaced among Congressional Republicans about how these cuts could impact public safety and health roles, as reported by PMG on Thursday.
As a result, more employees may find themselves at risk due to Musk’s aggressive approach.
A GSA manager, who spoke with PMG under conditions of anonymity, suggested that Musk's actions appear intended to intimidate employees into resigning.
“This will work,” they stated.
“Legal or illegal, they are hellbent on skirting every rule and misinterpreting every regulation they can to fire people as if it’s a company,” the manager explained to PMG. “They are clearly panicked. They can't fire people as easily as you could at a private company, and after the probationary purge, they need new ways to sort out how.”
Daniel Lippman, Dasha Burns, Halley Toosi, and Paul McLeary contributed to this report.
Debra A Smith for TROIB News
Musk shared on X that employees would be receiving an email “shortly” asking for an overview of their accomplishments from the past week. He emphasized that a lack of response would be interpreted as a resignation.
The email, with the subject line “What did you do last week?” was sent just two hours after Musk’s post, as confirmed by PMG. It requests that employees reply with “approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week and CC your manager.”
Employees are cautioned against sharing any classified information. They have until the end of the day Monday to respond, little more than two days after the email was sent. The email did not threaten any specific consequences for non-compliance.
It remains uncertain what legal authority, if any, Musk may be invoking.
This announcement follows shortly after President Donald Trump praised Musk on Truth Social for his initiatives with the Department of Government Efficiency in reducing the federal government's size, urging him to “get more aggressive.”
“REMEMBER, WE HAVE A COUNTRY TO SAVE,” Trump wrote.
Michael Fallings, an attorney specializing in federal employment law, told PMG that Musk’s actions as described are likely illegal.
“I don't believe it would be legal, and I don't think he really understands right now how he will even do what he's threatened to do,” Fallings stated.
The email appears to have circulated widely among federal employees. Recipients include staff from the State Department, the National Institutes of Health, the General Services Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Food and Drug Administration, and various other agencies.
This government-wide audit of employee performance comes on the heels of weeks during which the Trump administration has been cutting federal agencies and dismissing probationary staff throughout the government.
Following the Office of Personnel Management's issuance of a deferred resignation offer — known as the “Fork in the Road” email — over 77,000 employees opted to leave, according to the White House, which equates to a 3 percent reduction in the government workforce.
DOGE quickly moved to orchestrate the dismissal of thousands of employees from multiple agencies, targeting those in their “probationary” period as part of a strategy to streamline the workforce.
This week, Trump secured a legal victory after a judge granted Musk continued access to important data and permitted extensive layoffs.
The president subsequently signed an executive order on Tuesday directing agencies to collaborate with DOGE to prepare for “large-scale reductions in force.”
Additional firings are anticipated, as the Pentagon recently announced plans to cut 5,400 positions, with other agencies indicating ongoing job reductions as well.
Spokespeople for the White House and DOGE did not respond immediately to requests for comments regarding Musk’s announcement on Saturday.
Fallings advised federal employees who receive the email to consult their supervisor and comply with the request. He warned that responding may be particularly challenging for those on approved leave or without email access.
The American Federation of Government Employees, the union representing federal workers, criticized Musk and Trump for their “utter disdain for federal employees” and pledged to contest any “unlawful terminations.”
“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,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley stated.
Federal employees expressed outrage over Musk's directive. An official from the Department of Justice, who requested anonymity to avoid retribution, pointed out that the email came from an "external" server and indicated, "we cannot legally respond to this" due to the handling of classified information.
“This email looks exactly like all of the phishing email examples that federal employees see in training over and over again," remarked an employee from the Commerce Department, also granted anonymity, adding, "I’m not responding to it."
Dissent from Democratic lawmakers has already emerged, with calls for employees to disregard Musk’s directive. Rep. Sean Casten asserted that Musk has “no authority” to implement his demands, suggesting, “This is a good opportunity for mass civil disobedience.”
The targeting of federal employees for termination fits within the broader strategy of Trump and Musk to reshape the federal government, which includes a focus on dismantling programs aimed at promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Trump has also issued sweeping executive orders to review all government regulations and bring independent agencies under White House oversight.
Concerns have surfaced among Congressional Republicans about how these cuts could impact public safety and health roles, as reported by PMG on Thursday.
As a result, more employees may find themselves at risk due to Musk’s aggressive approach.
A GSA manager, who spoke with PMG under conditions of anonymity, suggested that Musk's actions appear intended to intimidate employees into resigning.
“This will work,” they stated.
“Legal or illegal, they are hellbent on skirting every rule and misinterpreting every regulation they can to fire people as if it’s a company,” the manager explained to PMG. “They are clearly panicked. They can't fire people as easily as you could at a private company, and after the probationary purge, they need new ways to sort out how.”
Daniel Lippman, Dasha Burns, Halley Toosi, and Paul McLeary contributed to this report.
Debra A Smith for TROIB News
