Musk’s Email Asking "What did you do last week?" Garners a Million Responses
Approximately one-third of the federal workforce responded to the request.
TroibNews 
Over the past weekend, over a million federal employees reacted to a controversial email that gained further attention from Elon Musk in a menacing post on X. The email requested a rundown of five tasks that employees had completed in the previous week.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, the White House positioned this email demand as part of its strategy to significantly reduce the size of the federal workforce.
“All federal workers should be working at the same pace as President Trump is working and moving,” Leavitt said. “This is to ensure that federal workers are not ripping off American taxpayers, that they are showing up to the office and that they are doing their jobs. And it’s a very simple task to complete.”
This response came from roughly one-third of the federal workforce, which comprises about 3 million individuals.
Leavitt’s announcement largely addressed the confusion that arose after Saturday’s email, in which Musk indicated that all federal workers were required to respond and that failure to do so would be considered a resignation.
In light of this, many federal agencies, particularly those involved in national security, quickly advised their employees not to respond. Other agencies aimed to clarify that replying was optional, reassuring staff that not participating would not lead to termination.
Despite the mixed guidance, the notably high response rate indicates that many employees opted to comply to mitigate the risk of job loss.
Hours before the White House’s announcement, 21 employees from Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency resigned, reportedly unwilling to use their skills to “dismantle critical public services.” The Associated Press was the first to report these resignations.
While Musk’s ongoing efforts to reduce the federal workforce have faced legal hurdles and led to the hasty termination of employees vital to national security and public safety—many of whom agencies later attempted to rehire—Trump and his supporters continue to back these initiatives, believing there is broad public support for a smaller government.
Presidential counselor Alina Habba commented on the situation Tuesday morning outside the West Wing, calling the backlash regarding DOGE’s email a “ridiculous” issue.
“Look at all of you standing here asking me why people are upset to answer to their boss, the American people and the president of the United States, what you've done at work,” Habba said. “What a ridiculous thing.”
Holly Otterbein contributed to this report.
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
During a press briefing on Tuesday, the White House positioned this email demand as part of its strategy to significantly reduce the size of the federal workforce.
“All federal workers should be working at the same pace as President Trump is working and moving,” Leavitt said. “This is to ensure that federal workers are not ripping off American taxpayers, that they are showing up to the office and that they are doing their jobs. And it’s a very simple task to complete.”
This response came from roughly one-third of the federal workforce, which comprises about 3 million individuals.
Leavitt’s announcement largely addressed the confusion that arose after Saturday’s email, in which Musk indicated that all federal workers were required to respond and that failure to do so would be considered a resignation.
In light of this, many federal agencies, particularly those involved in national security, quickly advised their employees not to respond. Other agencies aimed to clarify that replying was optional, reassuring staff that not participating would not lead to termination.
Despite the mixed guidance, the notably high response rate indicates that many employees opted to comply to mitigate the risk of job loss.
Hours before the White House’s announcement, 21 employees from Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency resigned, reportedly unwilling to use their skills to “dismantle critical public services.” The Associated Press was the first to report these resignations.
While Musk’s ongoing efforts to reduce the federal workforce have faced legal hurdles and led to the hasty termination of employees vital to national security and public safety—many of whom agencies later attempted to rehire—Trump and his supporters continue to back these initiatives, believing there is broad public support for a smaller government.
Presidential counselor Alina Habba commented on the situation Tuesday morning outside the West Wing, calling the backlash regarding DOGE’s email a “ridiculous” issue.
“Look at all of you standing here asking me why people are upset to answer to their boss, the American people and the president of the United States, what you've done at work,” Habba said. “What a ridiculous thing.”
Holly Otterbein contributed to this report.
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
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