Left: President-elect Donald Trump speaks at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon). Right: File Photo by: zz/Wil R/STAR MAX/IPx 2020 9/25/20 Elon Musk is seen on September 25, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.
The Trump administration sent emails to federal employees over the weekend, demanding that they report what they’ve been working on and their recent accomplishments, with unofficial DOGE leader Elon Musk saying “failure to respond will be taken as resignation.” Three of the country’s largest federal unions ripped the move on Sunday as “illegal” and “disruptive to essential government functions,” blasting Musk as an “unelected and unhinged” agency head with a “lack of regard for the integrity of federal employees and their critical work.”
The National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) have all instructed members to consult with supervisors and send them the Trump administration email first before responding to it, according to letters and statements sent out by the three groups on Sunday. Members have been told to seek guidance from their higher-ups on what information can or cannot be reported, specifically, to the Office of Personnel Management, which sent the email on Saturday afternoon. The unions plan to provide further instructions and details on Monday as multiple U.S. agencies have reportedly come out against the directive and Musk’s threat, including the Department of Defense and Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“The email fails to identify any legal authority permitting OPM to demand the requested information,” AFGE president Everett B. Kelley said Sunday in a letter to its members. “OPM’s actions conflict with laws delegating the authority for the management of federal employees to their respective agencies and do not comport with OPM’s own regulations and guidance.”
The email that they received on Saturday came from the OPM’s new HR email address but it didn’t have an official signature.
“What did you do last week?” the subject line said.
“Please reply to this email with approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week and cc your manager,” the email continued, according to CNN. “Please do not send any classified information, links, or attachments.”
According to the unions, federal employees report to their respective agencies through their established chains of command and are not required to report to OPM.
In his letter to members, Kelley condemned the OPM email for its “vague disclaimer” and said it does not provide “sufficient guidance” on what information federal workers should avoid disclosing. Many employees deal with “sensitive” info that is highly classified, the union president pointed out.
“Federal employees have a duty to ensure that sensitive information, data, and records are only used and disclosed for authorized purposes,” Kelley said. “The email was nothing more than an irresponsible and sophomoric attempt to create confusion and bully the hard-working federal employees that serve our country.”
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According to Kelley, AFGE received numerous reports from “dedicated civil servants, including those who care for our veterans and safeguard our nation” expressing frustration over the “tone and intent,” he said, after the emails were first sent out Saturday.
“Rather than fostering professionalism and respect for their work, this hastily written email left many feeling undervalued and intimidated,” Kelley blasted. “By allowing the unelected and unhinged Elon Musk to dictate OPM’s actions, you have demonstrated a lack of regard for the integrity of federal employees and their critical work. It is also clear that OPM has not assessed the cost to the government resulting from this thoughtless email. By issuing this directive, OPM is actively pulling federal employees away from their critical duties without regard for the consequences.”
Our letter to OPM ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/ks8PJUSPJA
— AFGE (@AFGENational) February 23, 2025
Kelley went on to list two examples, saying “a VA surgeon’s attention belongs in the operating room and an air traffic controller’s attention on keeping the skies safe, not on dealing with this unclear and unlawful distraction.”
Randy Erwin, national president for NFFE, told its members Sunday that the union planned to fight Trump in court should things continue with the OPM emails and resignations be handed out.
“NFFE believes this email and the threat by Elon Musk are illegal,” Erwin said in a letter. “If your immediate supervisor does not give you instruction to reply, please wait to respond until further notice is given by your agency, your supervisor, or NFFE. If your immediate supervisor advises you to reply to the email, please do so.”
NTEU officials sent out an email and statement on Saturday night, “strongly” suggesting that the OPM requests should not be responded to. “We are concerned about the implications of this request and are actively working to protect your rights and interests,” the union said in a statement, per CNN.
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Agencies that have chosen to go against the OPM directive are doing so for varying reasons, according to reports. FBI Director Kash Patel, for instance, has told employees that the bureau will be handling responses and worker reviews internally using FBI procedures and standards only.
“FBI personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information,” Patel instructed employees, according to CBS News. “The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of all of our review processes, and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures.”
Musk has defended the OPM email, saying Sunday that workers have already started to send in “good responses.” The Department of Health and Human Services — led by newly confirmed secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — has reportedly instructed its employees to comply and is referring to the email as “legitimate.” Federal employees have been given until midnight Monday to respond.
