Federal employees are under pressure to meet a midnight deadline set by Elon Musk for submitting reports detailing their recent accomplishments. This request, which has stirred controversy within the government workforce, was initiated by Musk and supported by President Donald Trump as a means to enhance accountability in the sprawling bureaucracy.
Employees who fail to comply with Musk's demand have been warned of potential termination. The requirement entails submitting a list of five activities undertaken in the previous week, a task that has triggered anxiety and confusion among many workers as the new administration asserts its authority over the federal government.
Several agencies have advised their employees either not to respond or to be cautious in their replies, mirroring the response to Musk's initial request last month. It appears that a standing request for accomplishment lists will be a recurring feature every Monday for the workforce, which comprises approximately 2.4 million federal employees, with the majority stationed outside the Washington, D.C. metro area.
Guidelines issued by various agencies emphasize the need for generic responses without divulging sensitive information or identifying specific projects or colleagues. The Department of Energy, for instance, instructed employees to refrain from sharing classified data and to indicate if all their activities are sensitive.
While some departments like the State Department have pledged to respond on behalf of their employees, others such as the Federal Bureau of Prisons have allowed staff to cite security concerns as a reason for non-disclosure. The Justice Department, which initially deemed responses unnecessary due to the sensitive nature of its work, later directed employees to adhere to the Office of Personnel Management's instructions.
Musk has defended the reporting requirement as a simple 'pulse check,' asserting that any employee with basic cognitive function can fulfill the task. The demand for accomplishment lists was first made last month, with the Office of Personnel Management eventually clarifying that compliance was optional despite Musk's warnings of layoffs.
Individual agencies now hold the authority to enforce the reporting mandate, with Musk framing it as a fundamental measure of accountability during a recent Cabinet meeting. The workforce is bracing for ongoing requests for accomplishment lists, signaling a shift towards heightened scrutiny and transparency within the federal government.
