Elon Musk urges U.S. government workers to either justify their roles or step down.
Elon Musk has delivered a bold ultimatum to U.S. federal employees, demanding they justify their work or face resignation.
This comes after President Trump’s recent shake-up of the military leadership, including the firing of several top-ranking officials. Musk, now appointed to lead Trump’s newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has been tasked with cutting down government spending.
Musk took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce the move: “As per President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will soon receive an email asking them to report what they accomplished last week. Failure to respond will be treated as a resignation.”
The email, sent by the Office of Personnel Management, requests that federal workers—ranging from judges to prison staff—reply with a list of five key tasks they completed the previous week. They are also asked to cc their manager on the response, and the deadline for submission is set for Monday at 11:59 PM.
This directive follows President Trump’s decision to fire several high-ranking military figures, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General Charles ‘CQ’ Brown. Trump also dismissed five other admirals and generals in an unprecedented move to overhaul military leadership.
Musk, celebrating his new government role, recently appeared at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland, where he waved a chainsaw in the air, a gift from Argentine President Javier Milei. The chainsaw, Musk joked, symbolized his mission to “slash” government spending. “This is the chainsaw for democracy,” Musk quipped to the crowd, adding, “Legalize comedy… We should have a good time, you know.”
