Musk orders US federal workers to describe what they did at work last week or get fired
Elon Musk has made a big announcement that has surprised the U.S. federal workforce. He said that all federal employees must send a detailed report of what they did last week by Monday night, or they might lose their jobs. This announcement, made on Musk's social media platform X on Saturday, February 22, has caused confusion and debate among government agencies and others.
As the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and working with President Donald Trump, Musk posted, "Following President @realDonaldTrump’s orders, all federal employees will soon get an email asking what they accomplished last week. Not responding will be seen as quitting." As promised, emails started arriving that afternoon, giving employees until 11:59 p.m. ET on Monday, February 24, to reply with "about 5 bullet points" summarizing their work and copying their managers.
For America’s roughly 2.3 million federal employees, the weekend turned into a scramble. From park rangers to Pentagon staff, workers found themselves grappling with a demand that many called unprecedented and impractical. “I was at the dog park when I got the email,” one Department of Labor employee told reporters. “After 20 years of service and stellar reviews, I’m supposed to justify my existence in five bullet points over a weekend? It’s absurd.”
The directive comes on the heels of a tumultuous first month under Trump’s second administration, during which Musk and DOGE have already pushed out thousands of federal workers through firings and buyouts. Estimates suggest hundreds of thousands have been affected, with cuts hitting agencies like Veterans Affairs, Defense, and the IRS. Now, this latest order has amplified the chaos, leaving employees and agency leaders questioning its legality and feasibility.
Some agencies, like the FBI and the National Weather Service, quickly advised staff to hold off on responding until the email’s authenticity and implications could be verified. “Within the last few hours, some of us—potentially all of us—received an email titled ‘What did you do last week?’” the National Weather Service wrote to its staff. “Until we can confirm it’s legitimate, please do not respond.” Meanwhile, federal court officials told judiciary employees to ignore the message entirely, noting it didn’t originate from their branch.
Labor unions are gearing up for a fight. Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents 800,000 workers, blasted the order as “cruel and disrespectful.” “It’s an insult to veterans and career civil servants who’ve dedicated their lives to public service,” Kelley said. “We’ll challenge any unlawful terminations tooth and nail.”
Why Now—and What’s Next?
The timing of Musk's demand matches Trump's push to be more forceful with the goal of reducing government spending. At the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday, Trump praised Musk's actions and encouraged him to continue. The administration has already stopped trillions in federal grants and offered buyouts that led over 77,000 employees to leave on their own.
However, with borrowing predictions going beyond expectations, possibly reaching $140-150 billion this year, there is growing pressure to show results.For federal workers, the stakes are personal. “It’s not just callous—it’s calculating,” one anonymous employee told CNN. “They’re trying to scare people into quitting.” Others worry about the broader impact: if key services falter due to mass exits or firings, the public could feel the pinch in everything from tax processing to national park maintenance.