US govt employees face 48-hour ultimatum to submit work reports or resign, as Musk and Trump push job reductions

The directive, reminiscent of Trump’s calls for a leaner government, has thrown the nation’s 2.3 million federal employees into turmoil. The email, dispatched from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) with the subject line “What did you do last week?”, instructed recipients to provide a concise, bullet-point summary of their work, while cautioning against including classified information, links, or attachments. The deadline for submission was set for Monday at 11:59 pm Eastern time.

Musk’s involvement was made clear in a post on X, where he stated his actions were “consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions”. This appeared to reference an earlier post by Trump on his Truth Social platform, where he lauded Musk’s efforts but urged him to be “MORE AGGRESSIVE” in reducing the federal workforce.

So awesome https://t.co/t2yAXh8qFZ

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 22, 2025

The OPM, in a statement released by spokesperson McLaurine Pinover, framed the request as part of the “Trump Administration’s commitment to an efficient and accountable federal workforce”. Pinover stated that agency managers would determine subsequent steps after reviewing the employee responses.

However, the email and its underlying threat have triggered a wave of legal and logistical concerns. Many federal employees are legally restricted from disclosing details about their work without explicit authorization. Others, such as those serving in the Defense Department, are stationed in remote locations with limited access to email. Furthermore, a significant number of employees are currently on leave, unable to access government devices or emails, including those placed on administrative leave by the Trump administration due to their alleged involvement with diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

The situation has been further complicated by conflicting guidance from agency leaders, with some advising their staff to withhold responses until the email’s legitimacy could be verified.

The request follows a period of intense uncertainty for government employees, marked by the termination of numerous probationary colleagues under a joint initiative between Musk and Trump, aimed at drastically shrinking the government.

“Most people have been scrambling trying to keep things going despite the existential threat of being fired every moment,” one employee with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who spoke anonymously, told The Washington Post. “I don’t know how we can keep up with this psychological terror.”

An employee at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expressed similar sentiments while speaking with news agency Associated Press: “To me, it’s like saying, I burned your house down on Saturday, what household chores did you do this week?”

Legal experts have questioned the legality of treating non-response as a resignation. Nick Bednar, a law professor at the University of Minnesota, told The Washington Post that federal law mandates that resignations be voluntary. He cited previous case law before the Merit Systems Protection Board, which handles appeals of disciplinary actions against federal workers, to support his claim.

FBI employees have reportedly inundated their managers with questions about the consequences of non-compliance, particularly for those on leave. Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union representing federal workers, has vowed to challenge any unlawful terminations.

To our public servants, I’m sorry you are being threatened. You deserve so much better. I remember how proud I was when I first swore my oath as a civil servant. Honor of a lifetime. Remember why you chose to serve. Stay strong. I and many others will be right by your side. pic.twitter.com/PKZgaNqmp0

— Andy Kim (@AndyKimNJ) February 22, 2025

“It is cruel and disrespectful to hundreds of thousands of veterans who are wearing their second uniform in the civil service to be forced to justify their job duties to this out-of-touch, privileged, unelected billionaire who has never performed one single hour of honest public service in his life,” Kelley said in a statement.

Senator Andy Kim of New Jersey addressed federal employees on X, expressing his sympathy and assuring them that “You deserve so much better”.