DOD tells civilian workforce to ignore Musk’s request to report productivity
The Department of Defense (DOD) has instructed its civilian workforce to disregard a request from billionaire Elon Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), to report their productivity. In a letter to DOD personnel, Darin S. Selnick, performing the duties of the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, provided guidance on how to handle Musk’s demand through the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
Selnick stated, “DoD personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information. The Department of Defense is responsible for reviewing the performance of its personnel and will conduct any review in accordance with its own procedures. When and if required, the Department will coordinate responses to the email you have received from OPM. For now, please pause any response to the OPM email titled, ‘What did you do last week.'”
Elon Musk, a senior advisor to President Donald Trump, had earlier stated that employees would receive an email giving them a chance to explain how productive they were the previous week. Musk warned that failure to respond to the email would be interpreted as a resignation.
In a tweet, Musk said, “Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.” He further mentioned that the report should take less than five minutes for employees to complete, with the deadline for responding set at 11:59 p.m. on Monday.
A spokesperson from OPM confirmed Musk’s plans, stating, “As part of the Trump Administration’s commitment to an efficient and accountable federal workforce, OPM is asking employees to provide a brief summary of what they did last week by the end of Monday, CC’ing their manager. Agencies will determine any next steps.”
Kash Patel, the new director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), also instructed FBI personnel to stand down and not respond to OPM’s request for information. He mentioned that the FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of all review processes and will conduct reviews according to FBI procedures.
The State Department similarly advised its employees to refrain from responding to the request, with Ambassador Tibor P. Nagy, acting under secretary of state for management, stating that department officials would respond on behalf of the Department.
In conclusion, the DOD has directed its civilian workforce to ignore Elon Musk’s request for productivity reports and to follow the Department’s own procedures for performance reviews. The OPM’s request for information will be handled by the respective agencies, and employees are instructed to wait for further instructions. The federal government’s commitment to an efficient and accountable workforce remains a top priority.
