TRENTON, NJ—Washington, D.C., is under new management under President Donald J. Trump. This week, the Trump administration polled government workers like any new boss would, asking, “What do you do around here?”
The questionnaire asked employees to write five simple bullet points describing their weekly accomplishments.
“Please reply to this email with approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished this week and cc your manager,” the email read. “Please do not send any classified information, links or attachments. Deadline is this Monday at 11:5pm EST.”
Federal employees were instructed to submit their weekly accomplishments report or risk being considered to have resigned, according to a directive posted by Elon Musk, which he attributed to President Donald Trump’s administration.
Musk’s post on X stated that all federal employees would receive an email asking them to outline what they accomplished last week, warning, “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”
The accompanying email instructed employees to submit approximately five bullet points detailing their work while cautioning against sharing classified information. The deadline was set for Monday at 11:59 p.m. EST.
The directive has drawn sharp criticism from some lawmakers, including New Jersey Senator Andy Kim, who called it a threat to public servants.
Andy Kim, a far-left progressive U.S. Senator from New Jersey, viewed the email as an attack on government workers.
“To our public servants, I’m sorry you are being threatened. You deserve so much better,” Kim posted, urging federal employees to stay strong.
The practice of a new boss asking employees to explain their position is nothing new in the private sector. Still, apparently, it is a taboo subject in the taxpayer-funded government public sector.
Some on Twitter responded with memes like, “Zoom call in my boxers, watched reels, hit the beach, walkedmy, dog, then sent a few emails to let my co-workers think I’m actually working.”
Others said the left’s outrage over the request supports the Department of Government Efficiency’s belief that many government workers are unproductive.