The Department of Defense (DOD) has instructed its civilian workforce to ignore a directive from Elon Musk, who is leading federal government efficiency efforts under the Trump administration. Musk’s order required federal employees to submit weekly reports on their productivity, with failure to comply considered an automatic resignation. The DOD’s response signals resistance to Musk’s push for government accountability and efficiency, raising questions about the authority of his mandate.
DOD Pushes Back Against Federal Productivity Reports
In an internal memo, Acting Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Darin S. Selnick told DOD employees not to respond to Musk’s email request titled “What did you do last week?” Selnick assured staff that the DOD would maintain its own performance evaluation processes, independent of external mandates. This stance aligns with similar moves by other federal agencies, which have expressed concerns about the legality and practicality of Musk’s demand.
Musk, serving as a senior adviser to President Donald Trump and leading the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), announced that all federal employees would be required to report their weekly accomplishments. He argued that the initiative would expose inefficiencies and ensure accountability in the federal workforce. Musk stated that responding to the email would take less than five minutes and warned that non-compliance would be considered a resignation.
Legal and Political Fallout
Federal employee unions and government oversight committees are pushing back against Musk’s directive. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest federal workers’ union, has called the policy “unlawful and coercive.” Union representatives argue that Musk lacks the authority to implement such sweeping changes unilaterally. Legal experts also question whether employees can be terminated for failing to comply with a directive that was not approved through standard government channels.
Members of Congress have also raised concerns. Democratic lawmakers have criticized the measure as an overreach, while some Republicans support the effort as a necessary step toward reducing government waste. The directive is part of broader reforms under the Trump administration aimed at cutting bureaucratic inefficiencies, though opposition from within the federal government has slowed implementation.
Bigger Picture: Reshaping the Federal Workforce
The DOD’s rejection of Musk’s order reflects broader resistance to the Trump administration’s push for streamlining government operations. The Department of Government Efficiency has been tasked with identifying redundancies, cutting waste, and potentially downsizing federal agencies. However, abrupt changes like Musk’s productivity mandate have met with strong opposition from career federal employees and agency leadership.
While the administration argues that greater transparency and accountability are needed in government operations, critics say the approach is disruptive and lacks legal grounding. As agencies push back, the future of Musk’s productivity initiative remains uncertain. The legal battles and political debates over government accountability are likely to continue as the administration presses forward with its reform agenda.
