Musk threatens federal employees again: submit achievement list or be fired!

American billionaire Elon Musk once again stirs up controversy, this time targeting American federal government employees. As a key figure appointed by President Donald Trump to cut federal spending, Musk escalated pressure on Monday (2/24) evening, demanding all federal employees to submit a "list of work achievements from the past week", otherwise they will be considered to resign automatically and face dismissal.

This policy has sparked strong backlash, with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) emphasizing that the requirement is "purely voluntary," but Musk scoffed at this claim and accused government officials of being "incompetent and contemptuous of taxpayers." Currently, several government agencies including the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have instructed employees not to respond to this request, while unions have filed lawsuits seeking to stop the "massive layoff action."

Musk pressures federal employees: respond or be fired!

Opportunities come only twice. If you don't respond the second time, you're fired.

Musk, through his social platform X (formerly Twitter), stated that all federal employees must submit a list of about five job achievements and copy the supervisor. He further emphasized: 'The president has the right to decide whether to give a second chance. If there is still no response, the employee will be dismissed directly.'

This "mandatory work report" project originated from an order issued by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on February 13, requiring federal agencies to clear the classification of "probationary employees" and plan for "large-scale layoffs of tens of thousands of federal employees".

Musk ridicules government inefficiency, angrily criticizes lazy employees

Facing OPM's statement that responding to this email is a 'voluntary act,' Musk directly mocks: 'The request in this email is so simple that it's appalling, just a few words and then press send! However, many employees still can't even fulfill this basic requirement, some even choose to ignore it under the encouragement of their supervisors.'

He went further: "Have you seen such incompetence and contempt for taxpayer money? It's worse than the old version of Twitter, I didn't expect it to happen!"

Federal agencies and unions push back, court to review injunction

Different institutions have different reactions, some requiring employees to ignore orders.

As this policy was not announced in advance, federal agencies have different attitudes towards this practice:

The Department of Defense, FBI, the Department of Justice, the State Department, and intelligence agencies have clearly instructed employees to "not respond to OPM emails" to avoid possible legal exposure.

The U.S. Department of Transportation requires employees to respond as directed, but reminds them not to include confidential information or attachments.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its subsidiary agencies are then instructed to comply with OPM's requirements.

The federal union filed a lawsuit, accusing Musk of "illegal dismissal"

In response to Musk's 'performance report order', the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and other federal unions filed a lawsuit against OPM and its acting director, Charles Ezell, on Wednesday (February 19). The union pointed out that the plan was not announced in the Federal Register and did not comply with any regulatory procedures, completely violating federal labor laws and the Constitution.

Everett Kelley, president of the Union of Federal Government Employees, criticized in a statement: "Musk and the Trump administration have once again demonstrated contempt for federal employees who provide critical services to the American people and are forced to account to this billionaire with no public service experience."

The union has asked the court to immediately block OPM from implementing the policy to avoid tens of thousands of federal employees from "being forced to resign collectively".

The court is about to hear the application for a union injunction, determining the fate of "mass layoffs".

According to the latest developments, a U.S. federal court has scheduled a hearing for Thursday afternoon (February 27) to consider the union's request for a 'temporary restraining order' to prevent OPM from further implementing the policy.

If the court approves the temporary restraining order, the federal government's 'performance report order' will be temporarily suspended, and Musk will also be unable to immediately carry out large-scale layoffs. However, if the court refuses to issue the injunction, Musk may immediately take the next step, accelerating the reduction of federal government manpower and further triggering a larger scale legal war.

Musk vs. the federal government, how will this "performance appraisal war" end?

This controversy reflects the Trump administration's and Musk's attempts to significantly reduce the size of the federal government, but it has also sparked unprecedented labor disputes and legal challenges. Musk's tough approach has brought the issue of 'government efficiency' into the public eye. However, the strong backlash from federal agencies and unions indicates that there are still significant obstacles to implementing this policy.

With the court about to hear the union's application for an injunction, the showdown between "government efficiency reform" vs. "federal employee protection" will be a key focus in American politics in the coming weeks. Can Musk cut federal spending as hoped? Will the court prevent this "mass dismissal"? This policy storm will continue to ferment.

This article Musk threatens federal employees again: submit achievements list or be fired! First appeared on Chain News ABMedia.