Tesla billionaire Elon Musk, tasked by former President Donald Trump with streamlining the federal government, has sparked controversy with a new directive requiring all federal employees to justify their work or face potential termination. In a post on his social media platform X, Musk announced that federal workers would soon receive an email asking them to detail their accomplishments over the past week.

"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. "Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation."

The email, with the subject line "What did you do last week?", asks employees to summarize their achievements in approximately five bullet points. The deadline for submission is 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday. While the email does not explicitly state that non-respondents will lose their jobs, Musk's post has raised concerns among federal workers and unions.

Government-Wide Impact

According to reports from Reuters and The Associated Press, employees across various agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and even judicial and prison staff, have already begun receiving the email. The directive is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration, dubbed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), to reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy.

The federal government employs approximately 2.3 million workers, and the downsizing initiative has targeted departments ranging from the Department of Defense to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Some agencies, such as USAID and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, face near-total dismantling under the plan.

Mixed Reactions

The initiative has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats, who argue that the effort is haphazard and that Musk, the world's richest man, has conflicts of interest due to his oversight of departments that regulate his companies. Republicans, however, have largely supported the move, framing it as a necessary step to eliminate waste and save taxpayer money.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), a union representing federal workers, has vowed to fight back against Musk's directive. In a post on X, the AFGE stated, "AFGE will challenge any unlawful terminations of our members and federal employees across the country."

The union also criticized Musk personally, calling the move "cruel and disrespectful" and accusing him of being an "out-of-touch, privileged, unelected billionaire who has never performed one single hour of honest public service in his life."

Musk's Role in Government Downsizing

Musk's involvement in the federal downsizing effort has been a point of contention since Trump appointed him to lead the initiative. Critics have questioned whether Musk, whose companies are subject to federal regulations, can impartially oversee cuts to agencies that oversee his businesses.

The latest directive comes after Trump urged Musk to "get more aggressive" in reducing the size of the federal government. While Musk has denied allegations of a "hostile takeover" of the U.S. government, his actions have continued to fuel debate over the role of private individuals in public administration.

As federal employees scramble to meet the Monday deadline, the broader implications of Musk's strategy remain unclear. With unions promising legal challenges and bipartisan divisions deepening, the battle over the future of the federal workforce is far from over.