Read The Email DOGE Sent To Federal Workers Over The Weekend

The White House DOGE office faced criticism after sending Saturday correspondence to federal staff that requested they submit their weekly achievements. Business Insider obtained a message that asked employees to share their work activities from the previous week.

The Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) HR email demanded workers submit five work bullet points through the reply function and send them to their managers. The message specified that employees should refrain from including classified materials, attachments, and links while establishing a strict time limit of 11:59 PM EST on Monday.

President Donald Trump issued an order to Elon Musk about getting aggressive regarding the reduction of federal employees, which led to this directive. Musk previously indicated on X that non-response to the email would result in employee resignation. The actual message lacked any information about what would happen if employees failed to follow the instructions.

Federal workers demonstrate confusion and anger about this situation. The directive faced doubts about its validity because it originated from a source outside their regular authority structure. The Department of Education employee whose duties have been disrupted by executive orders and staff cuts showed confusion regarding proper action. The normal activities I perform remain suspended. The tasks I normally perform are being prevented from completion, or I simply avoid responding to anything.

A few workers interpreted the email as a threatening message. A CDC employee believed the email functioned as a method to terminate workers by their answers or silence. The FCC employee expressed his position by saying, “I won’t protect this garbage.”

The Trump administration has implemented a strong job reduction strategy since Trump’s return to power. During his second term, the administration managed to convince 77,000 workers to take buyouts while USAID and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau experienced major job cuts. Federal employees face an uncertain future because their responses or non-responses to questions may play a role in their job stability.