Federal workers told once again to justify their work to DOGE

SUMMARY

Late Friday, federal employees got a second jolt from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk. An email from the Office of Personnel Management, tagged “What did you do last week? Part II,” landed after hours, asking workers across agencies like the State Department, IRS, and National Institutes of Health to list five accomplishments from last week by Monday midnight—cc’ing their bosses. It’s the latest in Musk’s push to shrink the workforce, backed by President Trump, after a similar email last week sparked chaos. That first round saw the FBI and security agencies tell staff to skip it, and OPM later said replies are voluntary—though Musk and Trump have hinted at firings for non-responders. “A lot of people haven’t answered,” Trump said Wednesday, musing about who’s even out there. DOGE’s already axed thousands, and workers are reeling—one NIH staffer called it “one long funeral.”