U.S. Transportation Department Urges Employees to Respond to Musk’s Call for Accountability

WASHINGTON, Feb 24, 2025 – The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has issued an unusual directive to its roughly 57,000 employees: respond to an email from Elon Musk, a key adviser to President Donald Trump, detailing their accomplishments from the past week.

The deadline? Monday at 11:59 p.m. ET. The request, which has sparked mixed reactions across federal agencies, comes as the Trump administration pushes for greater efficiency and transparency in government operations.

USDOT, which oversees critical agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the Federal Railroad Administration, regulates industries that include Musk’s own Tesla as well as aerospace giant Boeing.

In an internal email sent Monday morning, the department instructed workers to submit a concise list of about five bullet points highlighting their recent contributions—though they were cautioned to leave out any classified details.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy doubled down on the mandate during a Fox News interview, framing it as a litmus test for employee value. “If you can’t come up with five things you’ve done, maybe you shouldn’t be employed here,” Duffy said. “This is an easy task.” His comments underscore a broader effort to streamline the department’s workforce, which has already seen cuts in recent weeks.

The push for accountability coincides with personnel changes across USDOT agencies. The FAA, which employs around 45,000 people, recently terminated 352 probationary workers, while NHTSA shed 4% of its staff.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), though housed under the Department of Homeland Security, also reported last week that it had let go of 243 probationary employees. These moves reflect a broader shake-up as the administration seeks to address inefficiencies and staffing challenges.

Air Traffic Control Woes in the Spotlight

One of the most pressing issues facing USDOT is a chronic shortage of air traffic controllers. The FAA is currently about 3,500 controllers below its target staffing levels, a gap that has forced many to work mandatory overtime and six-day schedules.

The strain has contributed to flight delays and raised safety concerns, spotlighted by a tragic collision in January at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. That incident, which claimed 67 lives when an Army helicopter and a plane collided, has intensified scrutiny of air traffic control staffing and procedures.

In response, Duffy has promised a plan to bolster controller ranks and modernize technology. He’s also revisiting a controversial decision by FAA supervisors to reduce staffing at Reagan National prior to the crash—a move that some critics argue compromised safety.

Meanwhile, the administration briefly floated buyout offers to air traffic controllers, only to retract them after determining that controllers and other safety personnel were ineligible.

A Divisive Directive

Musk’s involvement in this initiative has raised eyebrows. As the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX—companies with significant stakes in transportation and aviation regulation—his direct outreach to federal workers is unconventional, if not unprecedented.

While USDOT has embraced the request, other agencies have taken a different tack, advising employees to ignore it altogether. The divergence highlights a lack of uniformity in how the Trump administration’s priorities are being implemented across the government.

For USDOT employees, the stakes feel high. With recent layoffs and Duffy’s blunt rhetoric, the pressure to justify their roles is palpable. Yet some observers question whether a five-bullet-point list can truly capture the complexity of their work—particularly for those in safety-critical positions like air traffic control or vehicle regulation.

As the clock ticks toward Monday night’s deadline, the exercise may serve as more than a performance review. It could signal a new era of accountability—or, depending on one’s perspective, a new layer of bureaucracy—in a department tasked with keeping America’s skies, roads, and rails safe and efficient.