Elon Musk announced that all federal employees must detail their productivity from the past week or risk termination, further intensifying the Trump administration’s campaign to shrink the federal government.
Musk wrote on X, “Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week.”
“Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”
Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week.
Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 22, 2025
Musk’s post comes hours after President Donald Trump applauded Musk on Truth Social, writing, “ELON IS DOING A GREAT JOB, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM GET MORE AGGRESSIVE. REMEMBER, WE HAVE A COUNTRY TO SAVE.”
This apparent audit comes after weeks of the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) slashing excess bureaucratic spending and firing thousands of probationary employees.
77,000 government employees, 3% of the federal government’s workforce, resigned after accepting the now-famous “Fork in the Road” offer from the Office of Personnel Management, per Politico.
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Federal employees across multiple departments, including those under the Department of Energy and the General Services Administration, have already faced probationary terminations in recent weeks as part of a broader effort to trim what DOGE deems unnecessary positions.
The Pentagon announced plans to dismiss 5,400 employees, and the administration is moving to eliminate programs emphasizing diversity, equity, and inclusion as part of its broader push for federal downsizing.
Legal observers are questioning whether Musk — in his capacity as an administration adviser — possesses the authority to demand employee productivity reports under threat of dismissal.
Nevertheless, Musk appears to have the president’s full support.
Meanwhile, some lawmakers in Congress have expressed concerns that rapid downsizing could have some unintended consequences, yet no significant legislative pushback has materialized, indicating that the Trump administration’s austerity campaign is likely to press forward, especially after several big court victories for DOGE last week.
The White House has yet to comment on Musk’s Saturday statement, leaving it unclear how soon employees will face consequences if they choose not to outline their weekly contributions.