At the first meeting of President Donald Trump’s new Cabinet, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk defended his recent demand that all federal employees email his office with a list of their accomplishments. Musk, who has taken an outsized role in Trump’s administration despite not holding a formal position, framed his request as a basic accountability measure rather than a performance review.
“This is just a pulse check,” Musk said. “Anyone with a heartbeat and neurons can complete it.”
Musk, known for his blunt commentary, argued that requiring federal workers to justify their paychecks ensures taxpayer dollars are not wasted. “There are fictional individuals collecting paychecks,” he claimed, though he did not provide specific evidence of fraudulent employment. “Are they alive, and can they write an email?”
A Controversial Request
The demand for employees to submit weekly bullet points outlining their accomplishments has been met with resistance from some federal agencies. Both FBI Director Kash Patel and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard advised their staff not to comply. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which oversees federal human resources, clarified that responses to Musk’s request were voluntary.
Trump, however, stood by Musk’s initiative. “I can tell you everything I’ve done for the last—long period of time,” Trump said. “We have a mandate to do this. And this is part of the reason I got elected.”
The president also hinted at possible consequences for employees who ignored Musk’s directive. “Those millions of people who haven’t responded, they’re on the bubble,” Trump said. “I wouldn’t say they wouldn’t exist.”
Federal Job Cuts on the Horizon
The push for accountability comes as the Trump administration moves aggressively to slash the federal workforce. Just before the Cabinet meeting, OPM directed agencies to submit plans for widespread layoffs by March 13, following a February 11 executive order mandating workforce reductions. Agencies are now required to present strategies for restructuring and cutting personnel.
The full extent of the layoffs remains unclear, but Musk and Trump’s rhetoric signals a significant shift in how the federal government operates. With Musk taking an increasingly vocal role in shaping policy, the federal workforce may soon face the kind of radical restructuring more commonly associated with Silicon Valley than Washington, D.C.
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