In a sweeping move to shake up federal employment, President Donald Trump has confirmed that nearly one million government workers are at risk of losing their jobs after failing to respond to an email directive from Elon Musk. The message, sent via the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), required all 2.3 million federal employees to submit five bullet points summarizing their work achievements for the prior week.

The deadline? 23:59 Monday.

Now, those who didn’t reply are being actively tracked by the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Musk himself. Speaking at his first Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Trump made it clear that unresponsive employees are now “on the bubble.”

The Hunt for the Silent Workers

Trump told reporters that his administration is investigating why nearly one million workers failed to answer Musk’s email. “Maybe they’re going to be gone, maybe they’re not around, maybe they have other jobs, maybe they moved and they’re not where they’re supposed to be,” Trump speculated.

The president suggested that those who did not respond could be seen as voluntarily resigning. Musk reinforced this view in a post on X, where he stated that non-compliance would be interpreted as a resignation.

Agencies Caught in Crossfire

The mandate has sparked confusion among government workers, with some department heads instructing their employees not to respond to Musk’s email. Despite this, Trump insists that DOGE is being “surgical” in its approach, focusing on identifying inefficiencies and eliminating unnecessary roles.

Notably, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin has already proposed cutting up to 65% of his department’s workforce. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has taken a different approach, particularly with employees handling sensitive and classified information. According to Trump, agencies like the State Department will be given more flexibility in implementing these changes.

Musk’s Vision for Government Efficiency

Musk, who attended the Cabinet meeting, stated that his goal is not mass layoffs but rather to ensure that every government job is essential and performed well. “We wish to keep everyone who is doing a job that is essential and doing that job well,” he said. “But if the job is not essential or they’re not doing the job well, they obviously should not be on the public payroll.”

The Bigger Picture

This unprecedented move underscores Trump’s ongoing efforts to streamline the federal government. By pushing agencies to take a more aggressive stance on workforce reduction, he is signaling a shift toward a leaner, performance-driven bureaucracy.

With nearly one million government employees now facing an uncertain future, the coming weeks will be critical in determining how this controversial policy unfolds and what it means for the landscape of federal employment.

For now, the message from Trump and Musk is clear: government jobs are no longer guaranteed, and accountability is the new standard.

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