Elon Musk speaks through the first cupboard assembly hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump, on the White Home in Washington, DC, U.S., February 26, 2025.
Brian Snyder | Reuters
The Trump administration despatched out a second spherical of emails on Friday night demanding all federal workers summarize their work over the previous week after the primary effort every week in the past fizzled amid a wave of complicated directives.
Reuters has confirmed that the emails from the federal government’s human assets arm, the U.S. Workplace of Personnel Administration, have been despatched to a number of companies, asking employees to record 5 issues they achieved through the week.
The transfer marks a renewed push by billionaire Elon Musk and his Division of Authorities Effectivity crew to evaluate the efficiency of presidency workers because the administration seems to mass layoffs to dramatically trim the federal footprint.
“The President has made it clear that that is necessary for the chief department,” Musk wrote on X. “Anybody engaged on categorized or different delicate issues continues to be required to reply in the event that they obtain the e-mail, however can merely reply that their work is delicate.”
Musk tried an identical tack final week, together with a menace that noncompliant employees might be fired, however he was stymied when some companies such because the State and Justice Departments instructed their workers to stay to the chain of command.
Finally, OPM knowledgeable companies that responding to the emails was voluntary.
However Musk, with President Donald Trump’s backing, continued to press for the emails as a method they stated to carry employees accountable. Each males prompt that some federal workers on the payroll don’t exist.
Critics, together with Democratic lawmakers and labor unions, say widespread cuts may hamper essential authorities features and providers.
The second spherical of emails doesn’t embody any menace of retaliation for noncompliance however say employees are anticipated to ship responses initially of every work week.
Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed Pentagon employees to conform, based on media experiences, however the State Division once more instructed their workers to carry off, based on a directive seen by Reuters.
The Division of Homeland Safety instructed its workers to reply to an inside DHS e-mail handle, labeled “accountability” due to its nationwide safety duties, based on a memo reviewed by Reuters.
The Justice Division additionally obtained the directive. The performing U.S. lawyer for the District of Columbia, Ed Martin, instructed employees in his workplace to conform, based on a message seen by Reuters.
“All federal authorities departments are cooperating with @DOGE,” Musk posted on Saturday. “For State, DoD and some others, the supervisors are gathering the weekly accomplishments on behalf of particular person contributors.”
Reuters was in a position to verify the emails have been additionally despatched to workers on the Inner Income Service, the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Nationwide Institutes for Well being. These companies have all been focused by DOGE for layoffs.
Musk’s crew final week instructed companies throughout the federal government to submit plans by March 13 for a “vital discount” in staffing throughout the federal workforce.
Layoffs proceed
Already, about 100,000 employees have taken buyouts or been fired after DOGE was dispatched by Trump to intestine federal staffing and spending. There are about 2.3 million federal workers in all.
The layoffs have occurred in such haphazard trend that some companies such because the Meals and Drug Administration have been pressured to recall key personnel in an effort to guarantee public security.
On Friday, the Social Safety Administration, which sends out profit checks to tens of tens of millions of People, stated it might lower 7,000 individuals from its workforce and shutter a number of regional places of work.
Most lately, the Trump administration has pulled the plug on a crew of tech-savvy civil servants that helped construct the Inner Income Service’s free tax submitting service and revamped web sites throughout authorities.
In an e-mail despatched in a single day to workers of the U.S. Normal Providers Administration (GSA) and seen by Reuters, the GSA’s Director of Know-how Transformation Providers Thomas Shedd stated the crew — referred to as 18F — had been recognized as “non-critical.”
Fashioned on the tail finish of the Barack Obama administration, the unit acted as an inside tech consultancy inside authorities, ferreting out duplication and waste, streamlining bureaucratic processes, and making public-facing web sites extra user-friendly.
Questions on Musk’s position and DOGE are on the coronary heart of a number of lawsuits looking for to dam them from accessing authorities techniques and confidential information. The fits allege that Musk and DOGE are violating the Structure by wielding the type of huge energy that solely comes from companies created via the U.S. Congress or appointments made with affirmation by the U.S. Senate.
Musk’s actions have additionally brought on some rigidity and confusion amongst Trump’s White Home aides, though Trump himself is claimed to be wholly on board with the hassle.
The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX isn’t a Cupboard-level official and didn’t face U.S. Senate affirmation. The Trump administration has been evasive about precisely what position he performs inside DOGE.
