Trump Administration Demands Weekly Work Reports from Federal Employees, Threatens Termination

 The Trump administration issued a directive on Saturday evening requiring U.S. federal government employees to submit detailed accounts of their work accomplishments from the previous week by Monday night or risk termination.

The directive was communicated via emails sent across multiple federal agencies, just hours after Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), stated on the social media platform X that failure to comply would be considered a resignation.

“All federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk posted. “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”

The move aligns with President Donald Trump’s recent call for DOGE to intensify efforts to streamline and restructure the federal workforce, which currently stands at approximately 2.3 million employees.

Emails with the subject line “What did you do last week?” were reportedly sent to employees in various federal agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The message, seen by Reuters, instructed employees to provide five bullet points summarizing their accomplishments and to copy their direct supervisors.

The emails originated from a human resources account within the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and set a deadline of 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday for responses.

Legal experts have raised questions regarding the authority of Musk or DOGE to unilaterally terminate federal employees for failing to comply with this request. Additionally, concerns have emerged over how employees working on classified projects could fulfill the directive without breaching confidentiality protocols.

Notably, some employees of the federal judiciary received the email, despite the court system being independent of the executive branch. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, which oversees judiciary administration, has yet to comment on the matter.

Employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) also received the directive, creating further complications. Most CFPB staff had previously been instructed to cease work-related activities earlier this month, and a temporary court order currently prevents mass firings at the agency while legal proceedings unfold.

The situation underscores ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and the federal workforce as efforts to overhaul government operations continue. The implications of this directive and potential legal challenges remain to be seen.