Thousands of U.S. federal employees received a startling email over the weekend: provide five reasons why you should not be fired—or be considered resigned. The message, sent Saturday night, instructed workers to summarize their accomplishments from the past week by midnight on Monday.
The directive came just hours after Elon Musk, head of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), posted on X: “Consistent with President Donald Trump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk wrote. “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”
Musk’s announcement followed a post from former President Donald Trump on Truth Social, urging DOGE to accelerate efforts to shrink and restructure the federal workforce, which currently employs 2.3 million people.
Emails, according to Reuters, were sent to employees at key agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and many others.
The message—titled “What did you do last week?”—instructed recipients to respond with a five-point summary of their weekly tasks and to copy their supervisors. The email originated from the human resources division of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
The legal basis for Musk’s ultimatum remains unclear, as does the status of employees bound by confidentiality restrictions. The email was also sent to members of the federal judiciary, which operates outside the executive branch, and to employees of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which has been under a court order barring further layoffs pending legal review.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union representing federal workers, has vowed to fight what it calls an “illegitimate mass firing.” “Once again, Elon Musk and the Trump administration are demonstrating their contempt for federal workers and the essential services they provide to the American people,” AFGE President Everett Kelley said in a statement.
Musk’s cost-cutting initiative has already resulted in widespread disruption. Initial layoffs primarily targeted employees in probationary status—those with less than two years of service—and those who had recently changed positions. But the aggressive downsizing has also led to the termination of key personnel, including nuclear security experts, defense analysts, and energy sector specialists, forcing several agencies to reinstate critical staff.
In response, some agencies have urged employees to hold off on responding to the email while they assess its legality. “This is an unusual and unexpected request that requires further review by senior leadership,” read an internal NOAA memo. The Executive Office for United States Attorneys issued similar guidance, advising employees to delay their responses until further notice.
