US news: Federal workers face anxiety amid second Elon Musk's deadline to report their last week's work

Federal employees are facing a midnight deadline to meet Elon Musk's second request for reports on their recent achievements, a demand that has sparked controversy within the government workforce.

Musk and former President Donald Trump have implied that those who fail to comply could face termination. They have framed the request — which asks employees to list five things they accomplished the previous week — as a reasonable measure to boost accountability within the large bureaucracy.

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But for many workers, the request has been a source of anxiety and confusion as the new administration tightens its grip on the federal government. Some agencies are still telling their workforces not to respond or to limit what they say in response, just as they did after Musk's first request last month.

Judging by instructions that have circulated in recent days, the workforce will face a standing request for lists of accomplishments every Monday. There are roughly 2.4 million federal workers excluding active-duty military and postal workers, 80% of whom are based outside of the Washington, DC metro area.

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At the Food and Drug Administration, employees received three emails Monday on the topic — the first at about 6:45 am Eastern letting them know about the request, the second before 8 am telling them to await guidance, and the third after 11:30 am explaining how they should respond.

Employees were told to write back with “a high level of generality" and not include any sensitive data, discuss specific grants or identify colleagues that they're working with.

There was similar guidance at the Department of Energy, which plays a key role in managing the country's nuclear arsenal.

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“Do not include any sensitive or classified information, and do not send any links or attachments,” wrote Energy Secretary Chris Wright. “If all your activities are sensitive, please reply All of my activities are sensitive.'”

Meanwhile, the State Department on Saturday told its workforce that department leadership would respond on their behalf. And the Federal Bureau of Prisons said employees could respond that “disclosure of my duties may compromise institution security or operations”.

Justice Department employees were told after the initial request last week that they didn't need to respond “due to the confidential and sensitive nature of the Department's work.” But on Monday, employees were told that “effective immediately,” they should follow the instructions in the email from the Office of Personnel Management.

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Musk described the requirement as a “pulse check" during Trump's first Cabinet meeting of his second term.

“Do you have a pulse and two neurons?” he said. “So if you have a pulse and two neurons, you can reply to an email.” 

(With inputs from AP)