Federal employees across the United States have been issued a directive that requires them to document their weekly work or risk losing their jobs. The order was announced on Saturday afternoon by Elon Musk, the head of the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and has since drawn sharp criticism from government workers, agencies, and labor unions.
Musk took to X, formerly Twitter, to make the announcement, emphasizing the need for transparency and efficiency in government operations. CBS News confirmed that federal employees received an email with the subject line “What did you do last week?” The directive requires workers to submit five bullet points detailing their accomplishments from the past week, explicitly instructing them not to include any classified information. The deadline for submission is Monday at midnight.
“Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation,” Musk declared in a follow-up post, adding, “The bar is very low here. An email with some bullet points that make any sense at all is acceptable! Should take less than 5 mins to write.”
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which had previously notified over two million federal employees that they had the option to resign, has already begun distributing the directive. An OPM spokesperson described the measure as part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to create a more accountable and efficient federal workforce. “As part of the Trump administration’s commitment to efficiency and accountability, OPM is asking employees to provide a summary of their work, CC’ing their managers. Agencies will determine next steps,” the spokesperson stated.
However, not all federal agencies are complying. FBI Director Kash Patel instructed his employees to “pause any responses” to the OPM directive. In an internal memo obtained by CBS News, Patel stated, “FBI personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information. The FBI will conduct reviews according to its procedures. Until further notice, please pause any responses.”
While the White House has not formally commented, President Donald Trump praised Musk’s leadership at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington. “DOGE is now waging war on government waste, fraud, and abuse, and Elon is doing a great job,” Trump said. He later posted on Truth Social, emphasizing that Musk is “doing a great job in reducing the federal government” and encouraging him to “get more aggressive in the pursuit.”
The directive has faced immediate backlash from labor unions and federal employees. Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), criticized Musk’s move as “cruel and disrespectful.” Kelley, whose union represents over 750,000 federal employees, argued that the order undermines the essential work of civil servants. “It is cruel and disrespectful to the hundreds of thousands of veterans serving in civil service to be forced to justify their job duties to this out-of-touch, privileged, unelected billionaire who has never performed a single hour of honest public service in his life,” Kelley said in a statement.
AFGE has vowed to challenge any terminations resulting from the directive, warning that the policy could lead to lawsuits and labor disputes that could disrupt government operations. Legal experts suggest that widespread firings based on failure to comply could trigger legal battles over employment rights and due process protections.
Since assuming leadership at DOGE, Musk has aggressively cut thousands of federal jobs across multiple agencies. His team has also sought access to sensitive government data, further raising concerns about the administration’s restructuring of federal operations.
Trump has repeatedly stated his intention to reduce the size of the federal workforce. He claimed at CPAC that around 75,000 federal employees had accepted “deferred resignations” under his administration’s buyout plan. He also reiterated his stance against remote work, ordering all federal employees to return to the office or face termination.
“We want to make government smaller, more efficient,” Trump said. “We want to keep the best people, and we’re not going to keep the worst people. And you know, we’re doing another thing—if they don’t report for work, we’re firing them. In other words, you have to go to the office.”
As the deadline approaches, federal employees remain uncertain about the directive’s enforcement and whether noncompliance will result in immediate termination. The uncertainty has created tension among government workers, especially those in critical public service roles.
This directive marks yet another point of contention in the Trump administration’s push to reshape the federal workforce. While proponents argue that reducing bureaucracy is necessary, critics warn that the administration’s approach risks disrupting essential services and lowering morale within the workforce.
With growing opposition from labor unions, potential legal challenges, and agency resistance, the coming weeks will determine whether Musk’s directive stands or becomes another controversial flashpoint in government policy. For now, federal employees must weigh their options: comply, resist, or brace for the potential consequences of this unprecedented move.
