Federal employees may get more demands to justify their work at Elon
Musk's direction
 [February 26, 2025]
By CHRIS MEGERIANWASHINGTON (AP) — The turmoil that
enveloped the federal workforce over the last few days is unlikely to
cease anytime soon as the U.S. government's human resources agency
considers how to fulfill Elon Musk ’s demands.
The Office of Personnel Management told agency leaders Monday that their
employees did not have to comply with a Musk-inspired edict for workers
to report their recent accomplishments or risk getting fired. But later
that evening, OPM sent out another memo suggesting that there could be
similar requests going forward — and workers might be sanctioned for
noncompliance.
“Agencies should consider whether the expectation for employees to
submit activity and/or accomplishment bullets should be integrated into
the agency’s Weekly Activity Report,” wrote acting director Charles
Ezell. He added that “agencies should consider any appropriate actions
regarding employees who fail to respond to activity/accomplishment
requests.”
OPM originally sent employees an email over the weekend with the subject
line “what did you do last week?” Recipients were asked to respond with
“approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished."
President Donald Trump did little to clear up the situation while
talking to reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday.
“It’s somewhat voluntary," he said, but added that “if you don’t answer,
I guess you get fired.”
Trump repeated his claims that taxpayer paychecks were going to
nonexistent employees and said that workers could have additional
opportunities to report their activities.
“If they don’t write back, they end up eventually losing their job,” he
said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that more than 1
million employees had responded to Musk's request, which would be less
than half of the estimated 2.4 million people in the federal workforce,
according to U.S. statistics. She said the idea came directly from Musk,
who used similar management tactics at his own companies, and she said
that the administration was "working as one unified team.”
Federal workers faced conflicting directions on whether to respond. One
employee, who requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation, was told
to expect guidance that the request was optional. But when that never
came, the employee sent in bullet points to avoid possible
repercussions.
Musk continued to press the issue on X, his social media platform, and
criticized people in the administration that stood in his way.
“The email request was utterly trivial, as the standard for passing the
test was to type some words and press send!” he wrote. “Yet so many
failed even that inane test, urged on in some cases by their managers.”
He also approvingly shared the news that unemployment numbers were
rising in Washington, saying “the DC swamp is actually draining.”
The billionaire entrepreneur, who serves as Trump's most powerful
adviser, also suggested that he's being held back from even more
dramatic reductions in government spending.
“I will do whatever I can," he wrote in response to calls for deeper
cuts. “There are limitations place(d) upon me.”
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A demonstrator holds a sign during a rally to protest President
Donald Trump and Elon Musk policies Feb. 17, 2025, in Los Angeles.
(AP Photo/Etienne Laurent, File)
Although the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, was
Musk's brainchild, the White House has said he's not directly
running the team. A Justice Department lawyer told a judge during a
recent hearing that he wasn't sure who was serving as the
administrator, and Leavitt declined to answer the question at
Tuesday's press briefing.
However, the White House later identified the person as Amy Gleason,
who served at the United States Digital Service during Trump’s first
presidency. The service has been transformed into a vehicle for
Musk's goals, and several people resigned in protest on Tuesday.
Musk is facing a growing backlash that has extended from outraged
Democrats to skeptical Republicans who fear political fallout in
their own districts.
About half of Americans say it’s “a bad thing” that Trump has given
Musk a prominent role in his administration, according to CNN
polling from last week. Only a third saw it as “a good thing.”
Another survey by The Washington Post and Ipsos found that Americans
are divided on whether Musk is mainly cutting wasteful spending or
necessary programs, with about a third following into each camp.
Another quarter said they're not sure.
Rep. Lisa McClain, a Michigan Republican, said Tuesday that her
party was only delivering what voters asked for in the last
election.
“We got our marching orders. We listened to the American people,"
she said. "And told us they wanted change. And buckle up, because
that’s exactly what we’re giving them.”
Alina Habba, a former member of Trump's personal legal team who now
serves as a counselor in the White House, told reporters that the
government workforce needed to get on board with the president's
goals.
“If you’re not on an America First agenda, you’re not here,” she
said.
Habba also suggested that employees could face more demands to
explain their jobs.
“If you struggle to do that for a week, there’s no excuse for that,"
she said. "You can have an extra day to answer that, but you better
be able to answer that.”
Leavitt, the White House press secretary, is one of three
administration officials who face a lawsuit from The Associated
Press on First- and Fifth-Amendment grounds. The AP says the three
are punishing the news agency for editorial decisions they oppose.
The White House says the AP is not following an executive order to
refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
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Associated Press writers Josh Boak and Linley Sanders in Washington
contributed to this report.
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