Washington, D.C., February 23, 2025 – The Europe Today: A controversial email was sent to federal employees shortly after former President Donald Trump spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), requesting a summary of their work activities over the past week.
The message, with the subject line “What did you do last week?” was sent from a sender listed as HR. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the federal government’s human resources agency, confirmed the email’s authenticity in a statement to CBS News.
“As part of the Trump administration’s commitment to an efficient and accountable federal workforce, OPM is asking employees to provide a brief summary of what they did last week by the end of Monday, CC’ing their manager,” the statement read. “Agencies will determine any next steps.”
According to a copy of the email obtained by the BBC, employees were required to submit five bullet points outlining their weekly accomplishments before midnight on Monday. The message did not specify whether failing to respond would be interpreted as a resignation.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union representing federal workers, strongly criticized the directive. AFGE President Everett Kelley denounced the email as “cruel and disrespectful” and vowed to challenge any “unlawful terminations” resulting from the directive.
“Once again, Elon Musk and the Trump Administration have shown their utter disdain for federal employees and the critical services they provide to the American people,” Kelley said in a statement.
On Sunday morning, Musk, who has played a significant role in reshaping the federal workforce, wrote on his social media platform X that “a large number of responses have been received already,” adding that those who responded should be considered for promotion.
Meanwhile, newly confirmed FBI Director Kash Patel instructed his employees to “pause any responses” to the OPM directive. In an internal email obtained by CBS News, Patel reassured FBI personnel that “the Office of the Director will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures.”
Trump, addressing the CPAC audience on Saturday, reiterated his commitment to downsizing the federal government, asserting that many federal employees were underperforming, especially those working remotely.
“We’re removing all of the unnecessary, incompetent, and corrupt bureaucrats from the federal workforce,” Trump told supporters. “We want to make government smaller, more efficient. We want to keep the best people, and we’re not going to keep the worst people.”
In recent weeks, thousands of government employees across various agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Pentagon, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), have been dismissed as part of a broader restructuring effort.
Observers have noted parallels between the latest federal workforce shake-up and Musk’s management of Twitter, now rebranded as X, after his 2022 acquisition of the platform. At that time, Musk imposed stringent work expectations, famously demanding employees commit to being “extremely hardcore” or resign.
Trump has consistently praised Musk’s efforts to reduce the federal workforce. In a Truth Social post, he commended Musk’s government-cutting measures, stating, “Musk is doing a great job in reducing the size of the federal government, and I’d like to see him get more aggressive in the pursuit.”
As agencies and employee unions react to the latest developments, questions remain about the long-term impact of these measures on federal operations and governance.
