Musk’s Email to Feds: Justify Your Job or Be Fired

THE NEWS

On Saturday, Musk' DOGE sent an email to all U.S. federal employees demanding they justify their jobs by detailing last week’s work or risk termination​.

The directive, sent via the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), gave employees 48 hours (until 11:59 p.m. Monday) to respond with five bullet points of their accomplishments​.

TIMELINE

Jan 20, 2025 – Trump Forms DOGE

• On the day of his inauguration, President Trump signs an executive order creating the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and appoints Elon Musk to lead it​.

• Musk is tasked with slashing public spending and “waste” in the federal bureaucracy, marking the start of an aggressive downsizing of the government workforce. In the following days, Trump loyalists are installed in key positions and plans for mass layoffs and hiring freezes begin, with some 200,000 employees encouraged to take buyouts under early initiatives​.

Feb 11, 2025 – Sweeping Order to Reduce Federal Workforce

• Trump issues a broad executive order mandating large-scale reductions in force​.

• The order limits hiring to 1 new employee per 4 departures, with exceptions only for critical public safety roles​.

• Agencies are instructed to prepare for major layoffs, and each agency must coordinate with DOGE “team leads” (Musk’s staff) on any hiring or retention decisions​.

• By mid-February, the administration begins firing thousands of probationary employees (who have fewer civil-service protections) and finalizing plans for deeper cuts​. A federal judge denies a union bid on Feb. 20 to halt these initial firings, allowing the downsizing to proceed​.

Feb 22, 2025 – Trump Urges Musk to “Get More Aggressive”

In a Truth Social post on Saturday, President Trump praises Musk’s efforts but urges him to move faster. “Elon is doing a great job, but I would like to see him get more aggressive… Remember, we have a country to save,” Trump writes, pressuring Musk to intensify the crackdown on federal payrolls​.

Feb 22, 2025 – Musk Announces Emails Ultimatum

• On Saturday evening, Musk makes a surprise announcement on X (Twitter) and through official channels. “All federal employees will shortly receive an email asking what they got done last week. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation,” Musk posts, signaling that non-compliance means termination​.

• Shortly after, hundreds of thousands of federal workers find a message in their inbox from an OPM address titled “What did you do last week?”​.

• The email instructs employees to reply by 11:59 p.m. Monday (Feb. 24) with roughly five bullet points of their week’s accomplishments (and to CC their manager)​.

• Notably, the form email itself does not explicitly threaten firing for no response​ – that warning was conveyed by Musk separately on social media – but the implication is clear. This gives federal staff just 48 hours (over the weekend) to account for their duties, stunning many workers and supervisors.

Feb 23, 2025 – Agencies Rebel

• As the directive sinks in, key federal agencies advise employees not to reply immediately. Internal guidance from the FBI, State Department, the Pentagon and other departments – including some led by Trump appointees – instructs staff to “pause any responses” until the order’s legitimacy can be verified​.

• Newly installed FBI Director Kash Patel emails agents that the bureau will conduct its own performance reviews “in accordance with FBI procedures” and tells them to hold off responding to Musk’s email for now​.

• Similarly, the Defense Department’s leadership asserts control over reviewing its personnel, effectively delaying cooperation with Musk’s request​.​

REACTIONS

Elon Musk responds to backlash: "To be clear, 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."

Kash Patel emails agents that the bureau will conduct its own performance reviews “in accordance with FBI procedures” and tells them to hold off responding to Musk’s email for now​.

The Department of Defense (DOD) told its civilian workforce to ignore the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Elon Musk’s request to report their productivity.

President Trump posted a meme on Truth Social featuring SpongeBob SquarePants holding a notepad. The notepad contains a sarcastic list titled “Got Done Last Week":

• Cried about Trump

• Cried about Elon

• Made it into the office for once

• Read some emails

• Cried about Trump and Elon some more

WHAT’S NEXT

Mass layoffs and cost-cutting efforts are expected to continue and even accelerate in the coming weeks and months.