US Government Workers Face Ultimatum: List Accomplishments or Resign
The Trump administration‘s efforts to scale back the federal workforce have taken a new turn with an email sent to government employees asking them to list their accomplishments from the past week. The email, which was confirmed by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), requests that employees provide a brief summary of what they did last week in five bullet points without disclosing classified information.
Government transparency refers to the open and accessible flow of information between government agencies and citizens.
It involves providing clear and timely information about government activities, decisions, and policies.
Transparent governments are more accountable to their citizens, reducing corruption and increasing trust in public institutions.
According to a study by the World Bank, countries with high levels of government transparency experience economic growth rates 1.5% higher than those with low transparency.
In the United States, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requires federal agencies to disclose certain information upon request.
The email is part of an outside effort led by Elon Musk, who has been working with the Trump administration to aggressively curtail government spending through funding cuts and firings. ‘We need to cut costs, we need to be more efficient,’ Musk said in a recent interview. However, some government department heads have expressed disagreement with the latest email.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union representing federal employees, criticized the message as ‘cruel and disrespectful’ and vowed to challenge any ‘unlawful terminations’ of federal employees. Everett Kelley, AFGE President, said that Musk’s actions are a demonstration of his disdain for federal employees and the critical services they provide.
There appears to be some disagreement about the latest email among government department heads. Newly-confirmed FBI Director Kash Patel told his employees in an email to ‘pause any responses’ to the OPM memo, stating that the FBI will conduct reviews in accordance with their procedures. The State Department also sent a similar message to its employees.
President Trump has repeatedly applauded Musk’s government-cutting measures and has expressed his desire to see him ‘get more aggressive’ in pursuing these efforts. ‘We need to cut waste, we need to be more efficient,’ Trump said at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). He told a crowd of supporters that the work of federal employees had been inadequate because some of them work remotely at least some of the time.
The email mirrors Musk’s handling of employees after he acquired social media platform Twitter, now called X. As the staff there shrunk under his ownership, he issued ultimatums that included a request to commit to being ‘extremely hardcore’ at work or resign. Thousands of government employees have been fired in recent weeks, and the email has sparked concerns among federal workers about their job security.
A backlash is brewing against Musk’s efforts to cut jobs and reduce government spending. Federal workers are speaking out against the ultimatum and the impact it will have on their livelihoods. The AFGE has vowed to challenge any ‘unlawful terminations’ of federal employees, and a growing number of critics are questioning the ethics of Musk’s actions in the US government.
Federal employees are individuals employed by the federal government of a country to perform various tasks and duties.
They work in agencies, departments, and organizations that carry out specific functions, such as defense, healthcare, education, and law enforcement.
According to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) , there were over 2 million federal employees in the United States as of 2020.
Federal employees are paid through the annual budget process and receive benefits, including health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is a labor union that represents over 700,000 federal and postal workers in the United States.
Founded in 1932, AFGE is one of the largest federal employee unions in the country.
The organization's mission is to improve wages, benefits, and working conditions for its members.
AFGE has been involved in several high-profile disputes with government agencies over issues such as collective bargaining rights and worker safety.
According to the union's website, AFGE has a presence in every state and territory, with local chapters and national offices.
