Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has sparked a new wave of controversy within the executive branch. Musk sent a mass email to all executive branch employees, demanding they list their weekly accomplishments. Employees have until 11:59 p.m. ET each Monday to submit an email with five bullet points detailing their weekly achievements. This initiative follows a previous email that caused significant uproar and confusion among staff.
The email, deemed mandatory, warns that employees who fail to respond might face termination. President Trump, in a recent Oval Office meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, reiterated this, stating that non-responsive employees risk being fired. Musk further emphasized the compulsory nature of the task on X, underscoring its importance in fostering accountability within the executive branch.
"Going forward, please complete the above task each week by Monday at 11:59 pm ET." – Elon Musk
The initiative has not been universally accepted. Some Trump-appointed agency heads have advised their teams to disregard the directive. Notably, FBI Director Kash Patel and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard have instructed their agencies to ignore Musk's demands. Conversely, Secretary Pete Hegseth instructed Department of Defense employees to circulate their reports internally and share them with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
Musk addressed the first cabinet meeting of President Trump's second term, donning a Make America Great Again hat, to explain the rationale behind this new accountability measure. He clarified that the email is not a performance review but rather a "pulse check review."
"I think that email perhaps was misinterpreted as a performance review, but, actually, it was a pulse check review," – Elon Musk
Musk also highlighted concerns about inactive government employees.
"But what we are trying to get to the bottom of is we think there are a number of people on the government payroll who are dead, which is probably why they can’t respond," – Elon Musk
Despite the controversy, Musk insists that even those involved in sensitive or classified work must reply to the email if received, though they can simply state that their work is sensitive.
"The President has made it clear that this is mandatory for the executive branch. Anyone working on classified or other sensitive matters is still required to respond if they receive the email, but can simply reply that their work is sensitive," – Elon Musk
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