(LifeSiteNews) — President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that federal workers who don’t respond to an email asking them to list their week’s accomplishments could be cut from their positions.
During Trump’s first Cabinet meeting of his second term, a reporter asked whether the million or so federal workers who had not yet responded to a certain email sent by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) would be fired.
The email was unveiled by DOGE lead Elon Musk on Saturday and instructed all federal workers to list five accomplishments of the past week by 11:59 p.m. Monday.
“Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk wrote on X. “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.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 22, 2025
Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.
Musk tried to convey to the reporter during Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting that the email request allowed for leeway, and that they would not immediately fire those who did not respond.
“We’re going to send another email,” Musk said. “But our goal is not to be capricious or unfair. We want to give people every opportunity to send an email. And the email could simply be ‘What I’m working on is too sensitive or classified to describe.’ Like, literally just that would be sufficient. You know, I think this is just common sense.”
However, Trump then warned that the jobs of federal workers who did not respond to the email are at risk.
“Those million people that haven’t responded though, Elon, they are on the bubble,” Trump said. “You know, I wouldn’t say that we’re thrilled about it. You know, they haven’t responded. Now, maybe they don’t exist. Maybe we’re paying people that don’t exist. Don’t forget we just got here … But those people are on the bubble, as they say. Maybe they’re gonna be gone.”
At least several federal agencies have instructed their staff to disregard DOGE’s request, according to Fox News, including the Department of Defense and the FBI.
Musk has repeatedly stressed the importance of DOGE’s role in helping to cut government waste as well as the country’s deficit in the hope of improving government functioning and the economy.