The Trump administration introduced a new policy targeting federal employees, aiming to enhance accountability within the government workforce. This initiative, driven by President Donald Trump’s instructions, requires all federal employees to submit details of their work from the previous week via email.
The policy gained significant attention following a tweet from Elon Musk, who is reportedly involved in overseeing government efficiency efforts under the administration.
Elon Musk posted the following on X on February 22, 2025, at 11:46 AM PST:
“Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”
Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week.
Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 22, 2025
Policy Details
According to Musk’s statement, the directive applies to all federal employees across various agencies. They will soon receive an email asking them to outline their accomplishments from the prior week.The policy includes a strict condition: if an employee fails to respond, it will be considered an automatic resignation.
This measure affects approximately 2.3 million civilian federal workers, excluding military personnel and postal service employees, though no official government announcement has specified exemptions or additional details as of February 23, 2025.
Background and Musk’s Role
Elon Musk, known for his leadership at Tesla and SpaceX, has been associated with the Trump administration’s efforts to improve government efficiency. While no official title or detailed scope of his role has been universally confirmed in public records as of this date, his X post indicates he is acting in alignment with President Trump’s directives.
This policy echoes Musk’s past management tactics, such as his 2022 ultimatum to Twitter employees, where he demanded commitment to a rigorous work culture or resignation, suggesting a similar approach is now being applied to the federal workforce.
Potential Impact
The policy aims to ensure federal employees are actively contributing to their roles, aligning with the administration’s broader goal of making government operations more efficient.
However, the immediate implications remain unclear. With millions of employees potentially receiving this email in the coming days, the requirement could lead to significant administrative challenges, including how responses will be processed and evaluated.
Additionally, the resignation clause raises questions about its legal standing under existing federal employment laws, though no official challenges have been reported as of now.
Current Status
As of February 23, 2025, no further details—such as the exact timeline for the email distribution or the format of the required response—have been provided in Musk’s tweet or other verified sources.
The federal workforce awaits the implementation of this directive, which could reshape accountability standards in government service.