'Justify work or lose job': Musk warns US government staff
What's the story
Elon Musk, an advisor to President Donald Trump and executive of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has warned all US federal employees. He said they have to justify their work or lose their jobs. The directive came after Trump asked him to be "more aggressive" in cutting down government spending. Besides being the world's richest man, Musk is a major contributor to Trump's campaign.
Directive details
Musk's directive demands weekly accomplishments from federal employees
The US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) emailed all federal employees on Musk's behalf with the subject line, "What did you do last week?" The email asked them to submit about five bullet points detailing their accomplishments from the previous week. The submission was due by 11:59pm on Monday, with Musk saying that failure to respond would be taken as a resignation.
Union response
Union leaders vow to challenge Musk's directive
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) has vowed to fight any illegal firings due to Musk's order. AFGE President Everett Kelley said, "It is cruel and disrespectful to hundreds of thousands of veterans who are wearing their second uniform in the civil service to be forced to justify their job duties to this out-of-touch, privileged, unelected billionaire who has never performed one single hour of honest public service in his life."
Presidential backing
Trump supports Musk's efforts to downsize federal workforce
President Trump also lent his support to Musk's actions on his Truth Social platform. He urged Musk to be more aggressive in shrinking the size of the federal workforce. Trump had previously appointed Musk as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a position that entails slashing public spending and tackling alleged waste and corruption.
Workforce cuts
US Defense Department announces plans for workforce reduction
In this context, the US Defense Department has announced plans to cut its civilian workforce by at least 5% from next week. The announcement comes days after the Trump administration fired probationary federal workers. Despite legal challenges and court rulings against DOGE's cost-cutting measures, a judge recently denied a union bid to temporarily halt mass firings.
Accountability pledge
Musk dismisses conflict of interest concerns, vows transparency
Musk has brushed aside worries about possible conflicts of interest stemming from his government contracts. He said he would continue working with Trump as long as he "can be helpful." The work of DOGE is being publicized on its website, with Musk stressing that the transparency of the operations would hold him accountable. On Saturday, Trump said to a meeting of conservative activists, "People said, what official position does he have? I said, 'Patriot'."