White House Gives Cabinet Secretaries Control Over Employee Memo Responses

Here's what you need to know about the recent memo inspired by Elon Musk:

• Cabinet secretaries determine if employees must respond.
• Elon Musk suggested that federal workers list weekly accomplishments.
• The government received over 1 million responses so far.
• Some agencies have advised their employees against responding.

Details of the Memorandum

The White House announced that Cabinet secretaries will decide if their employees need to respond to a memo requesting a summary of their accomplishments from the previous week.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that President Trump supports the agency heads' discretion regarding these responses:

“The president defers to his Cabinet secretaries who he’s obviously entrusted to pursue the guidance relative to their specific workforce.”

Elon Musk’s Directive

Over the weekend, Elon Musk suggested on X that all federal employees send their bosses a list of five accomplishments by Monday night or risk termination. He later clarified that employees would have another chance to respond.

“Failure to respond would result in 'termination.'”

Agency Responses

Many agencies have advised employees against sending the requested email, emphasizing that responses are voluntary:

Government's Intent

Leavitt stated that the government's goal is to ensure federal workers are fulfilling their duties effectively:

“This is to ensure that federal workers are not ripping off American taxpayers...”

Trump's Take on the Memo

President Trump praised Musk's directive, calling it “genius.” He emphasized the importance of tracking employee performance:

“We’re trying to find out if people are working... If people don’t respond, it’s very possible that there is no such person or they’re not working.”