Trump Administration Demands Federal Employee Reports, Threatens Termination

The Trump administration has issued a directive to U.S. federal employees, requiring them to submit a summary of their work from the past week by Monday night. The email warns that failure to comply will be considered a resignation, according to a Reuters report.

The order came shortly after Elon Musk posted on social media platform X, stating, “All federal employees will soon receive an email requesting details of their recent work. Failure to respond will be treated as an indication of quitting.”

President Trump echoed similar sentiments on Truth Social, urging the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to take a more aggressive approach in downsizing and restructuring the federal workforce.

By Saturday evening, employees across various agencies — including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — received emails titled “What Did You Do Last Week?”

The email, reviewed by Reuters, instructs employees to list their weekly accomplishments in five bullet points and copy their direct supervisors. It was sent from the official email address of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), with a submission deadline set for 11:59 p.m. on Monday.

However, the legal grounds for terminating employees who fail to respond remain unclear. There is also uncertainty about how the directive applies to staff working on classified projects.

Notably, some federal judiciary employees, who are not part of the executive branch, also received the email. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts has not commented, nor has a spokesperson from DOGE provided an immediate response.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), a major union representing federal workers, has stated it will pursue legal action against any unlawful terminations.