Trump Administration Doubles Down on Federal Employee Performance Assessment Amid Layoff Plans
The Trump administration, spurred by billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has launched a second wave of emails demanding federal employees summarize their weekly work. This renewed effort comes after an initial attempt faltered due to confusing directives and resistance from some agencies.
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the government’s human resources arm, sent emails to numerous agencies, instructing employees to list five accomplishments from the past week. This initiative underscores the administration’s push to evaluate employee performance as it contemplates significant workforce reductions to streamline the federal government.
President Trump has reportedly mandated this initiative for the executive branch. Musk, amplifying the message on X, stated that even employees handling classified or sensitive information must respond, though they can simply indicate the sensitive nature of their work.
Musk previously attempted a similar strategy, threatening noncompliant employees with termination. However, agencies like the State and Justice Departments instructed employees to adhere to the established chain of command, effectively halting the effort. OPM later clarified that responding to the emails was voluntary.
Undeterred, Musk, with Trump’s backing, has persisted in advocating for the emails as a means of holding employees accountable. Both men have insinuated that some federal employees on the payroll may not exist, fueling the drive for assessment and potential layoffs.
Critics, including Democratic lawmakers and labor unions, warn that widespread cuts could jeopardize essential government functions and services. The second round of emails omits the threat of retaliation for noncompliance but emphasizes the expectation that employees will submit responses at the start of each work week.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reportedly directed Pentagon employees to comply, while the State Department has again advised its employees to refrain from responding, according to a directive obtained by Reuters. The Department of Homeland Security has instructed its employees to respond to an internal DHS email address labeled "accountability," citing its national security responsibilities.
The Justice Department has also received the directive. The acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Ed Martin, has instructed employees in his office to comply.
Musk posted that all federal government departments are cooperating with DOGE. He further clarified that for the State Department, Department of Defense, and a few other agencies, supervisors are compiling weekly accomplishments on behalf of individual contributors. Reuters has confirmed that employees at the Internal Revenue Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Institutes for Health have also received the emails. These agencies have been targeted for potential layoffs by DOGE.
Last week, Musk’s team instructed agencies across the government to submit plans by March 13 outlining "significant reduction" in staffing across the federal workforce. Approximately 100,000 workers have already taken buyouts or been terminated since DOGE was dispatched by Trump to reduce federal staffing and spending. The federal government employs roughly 2.3 million people.
The layoffs have been implemented so erratically that some agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration, have been compelled to recall essential personnel to ensure public safety.
The Social Security Administration, responsible for distributing benefit checks to tens of millions of Americans, recently announced plans to cut 7,000 employees and close several regional offices.
The Trump administration has recently dismantled a team of tech-savvy civil servants that helped build the Internal Revenue Service’s free tax filing service and modernized government websites. Thomas Shedd, the Director of Technology Transformation Services at the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), informed employees via email that the team known as 18F has been deemed "non-critical."
Established towards the end of the Obama administration, 18F functioned as an internal tech consultancy, identifying duplication and waste, streamlining bureaucratic processes, and enhancing the user-friendliness of public-facing websites.
Musk’s role and DOGE’s authority are at the center of multiple lawsuits seeking to prevent them from accessing government systems and confidential data. The lawsuits allege that Musk and DOGE are violating the Constitution by exercising power typically reserved for agencies created by Congress or appointments confirmed by the Senate.
Musk’s actions have reportedly caused tension and confusion among Trump’s White House aides, though Trump is reportedly supportive of the initiative. Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is not a Cabinet-level official and has not undergone Senate confirmation. The Trump administration has been evasive regarding Musk’s precise role within DOGE. The article highlights the tension between the administration’s goals of efficiency and potential risks to crucial public services. It also emphasizes the unusual influence of Elon Musk within the federal government, raising constitutional questions and causing internal discord.
