Washington: Trump administration sent a second series of emails on Friday evening, asking all federal employees to summarize their work from last week, after a similar attempt at the previous week due to confusing directives.
Reuters has confirmed that emails from the government’s human resources branch, the American management office, have been sent to several agencies, asking workers to list five things they have done during the week.
This decision marks a renewed thrust of the billionaire Elon Musk and his team from the Ministry of Effectiveness of the Government to assess the performance of government employees while the administration turns to mass layoffs to considerably reduce the federal imprint.
“The president has clearly indicated that this is compulsory for the executive power,” wrote Musk on X. “Whoever working on classified or other questions is necessary to answer if they receive email, but can simply answer that their work is sensitive.”
Musk attempted a similar approach last week, as well as a threat that non -compliant workers could be dismissed, but it was blocked when certain agencies such as state and justice services told their employees to stick to the chain of command.
In the end, OPM informed agencies that the response to emails was voluntary.
But Musk, with the support of President Donald Trump, continued to put pressure for emails as a means, they said they were responsible. The two men suggested that some federal employees on pay do not exist.
Critics, including democratic legislators and unions, say that generalized cuts could hamper the crucial government functions and services.
The second cycle of emails does not include any threat of reprisals for non-compliance, but say that workers should send answers at the beginning of each week of work.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered Pentagon workers to comply, according to media reports, but the State Department once again told their employees to hold back, according to a directive seen by Reuters.
The Ministry of Internal Security told its employees to respond to an internal E-mail address of the DHS, labeled “responsibility” because of its national security responsibilities, according to a note examined by Reuters.
The Ministry of Justice also received the directive. The acting American lawyer for the Columbia district, Ed Martin, told his office workers to comply, according to a message seen by Reuters.
“All the federal ministries cooperate with @doge,” Musk published on Saturday. “For the state, the DOD and a few others, the supervisors bring together weekly achievements in the name of individual contributors.”
Reuters was able to confirm that the emails were also sent to the employees of the Internal Revenue Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Institutes for Health. These agencies were all targeted by DOGE for layoffs.
The Musk team last week asked the government’s agencies to submit plans by March 13 for a “significant reduction” of the endowment through federal workforce.
The layoffs continue
Already, around 100,000 workers have taken again or were dismissed after Doge was sent by Trump to inspire federal staff and expenses. There are approximately 2.3 million federal employees in all.
The layoffs occurred with regard to the random manner that certain agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration have been forced to recall key staff to ensure public security.
On Friday, the Social Security Administration, which sends services to tens of millions of Americans, said that it would reduce 7,000 people from its workforce and close several regional offices.
More recently, the Trump administration has disconnected on a team of civil servants who have helped build the free income declaration of the internal income and web rebuilding.
In an email sent during the night to the US General Services Administration employees (GSA) and seen by Reuters, the director of technological transformation services of GSA, Thomas Shedd, said that the team – known as 18F – had been identified as “non -critical”.
Trained at the end of the Barack Obama administration, the unit acted as an internal technology advice within the government, preserving duplication and waste, rationalizing bureaucratic processes and making websites for occasional occasion.
Questions about Musk’s role and DOGE are at the heart of several proceedings to prevent them from access to government systems and confidential data. The proceedings allege that Musk and Doge violate the Constitution by exercising the type of vast power which comes only from the agencies created by the American Congress or appointments made with confirmation of the American Senate.
Musk’s actions have also caused tensions and confusion among Trump’s white house aid, although Trump himself is entirely on board the effort.
The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX is not an official at the office level and has not been confronted with the confirmation of the American Senate. The Trump administration was evasive on the role it plays in Doge.
