One Million Federal Workers Respond to Elon Musk’s Accountability Email

Over one million federal employees about a third of the entire federal workforce have responded to Elon Musk’s now-infamous “What did you do last week?” email, the White House announced on Tuesday. The mass response follows the Trump administration’s directive to boost accountability within the federal government, ensuring that taxpayer dollars aren’t funding deadweight.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized the administration’s goal during a press conference: “All federal workers should be working at the same pace as President Trump is working and moving.” With a workforce of nearly 3 million employees, the federal government has become one of the nation’s largest employers, costing taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars annually.

Key Highlights:

• Musk's Directive: Federal workers were instructed to respond to an email from their manager listing five concrete accomplishments from the previous week. “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation,” Musk announced on X (formerly Twitter).

• Agency Confusion: The announcement initially led to chaos in Washington, as some agency heads advised against responding, while others claimed participation was voluntary.

• Clarification from OPM: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) confirmed that Musk’s order applied to all agencies that had not formally opted out. “This is part of the Trump administration’s commitment to an efficient and accountable federal workforce,” OPM spokeswoman McLaurine Pinover said.

Musk’s bold initiative faced pushback from bureaucratic circles, but the sheer volume of responses suggests that many federal workers would rather comply than risk losing their jobs. Musk even offered a second chance to those who missed the initial deadline, tweeting, “Subject to the discretion of the President, [Federal workers] will be given another chance. Failure to respond a second time will result in termination.”

While some departments were allowed to opt out of the initiative, Leavitt confirmed that agency heads have the autonomy to determine best practices for their specific teams. “The president and Elon and his entire Cabinet are working as one unified team, and they are implementing these very common-sense solutions,” she added.

This move aligns with Trump's broader approach to government reform trimming the fat and demanding accountability. With a sprawling federal workforce that has expanded significantly under Democratic leadership, this level of scrutiny is long overdue. Musk’s approach mirrors the private sector’s performance-based standards, which could lead to a leaner and more efficient government.

By holding government employees to the same productivity standards expected in corporate America, the Trump administration is sending a clear message: The days of unchecked government bloat are over. American taxpayers deserve to know that their hard-earned money is funding real work not empty desks and unproductive meetings.

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