More than 1 million federal employees complied with Musk's 'what did you do last week' email: WH

More than one million federal workers participated in the Elon Musk and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) directive to provide a bullet-point list of their work accomplishments from the previous week, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday in a press briefing. 

"I can announce that we've had more than one million workers who have chosen to participate in this very simple task of, again, sending five bullet points to your direct supervisor or manager and CC'ing OPM," Leavitt told Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich when asked about the directive during Tuesday's briefing. "I actually participated in it myself. It took me about a minute and a half to think of five things I did last week. I do five things in about ten minutes, and all federal workers should be working at the same pace that President Trump is working and moving." 

"We have a country to save, and we want this federal government to be responsive to the needs of the American people who reelected this president to have historic, massive reform. And that's what the intention of this idea is," she said. 

TRUMP OFFICIALS LIST 5 WEEKLY ACCOMPLISHMENTS AHEAD OF MUSK MIDNIGHT DEADLINE

Elon Musk announced that federal employees had to report their accomplishments for the prior work week or risk losing employment. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)

Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Chair Musk announced Saturday that federal employees would receive an email directing them to list their accomplishments from the week prior, with the DOGE leader adding later that day that the assignment should take less than five minutes to accomplish. 

Employees had until 11:59 p.m. Monday to send the list or risk losing their employment, according to emails regarding Musk's directive that were sent by the Office of Personnel Management.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during the daily briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 25, 2025. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Musk added to X on Monday evening that, "subject to the discretion of the President, (federal employees) will be given another chance. Failure to respond a second time will result in termination."

FLASHBACK: MUSK USED HIS 'WHAT DID YOU GET DONE THIS WEEK' DIRECTIVE BEFORE GUTTING TWITTER

"The email request was utterly trivial, as the standard for passing the test was to type some words and press send!" he wrote in a separate post. "Yet so many failed even that inane test, urged on in some cases by their managers. Have you ever witnessed such INCOMPETENCE and CONTEMPT for how YOUR TAXES are being spent?" 

When asked Tuesday about the "actual deadline" for federal employees to comply with the directive following Musk's X post that employees will "be given another chance," Leavitt explained that "agency heads will determine the best practices for their employees at their specific agency."

"This was an idea that Elon [came] up with.  DOGE  worked with OPM to actually implement the idea. And the secretaries are responsible for their specific workforce. And this is true of the hirings and the firings that have taken place. And we advise federal workers, unless your agency has dictated you not to, to respond to this email," she said.

The White House told Fox News Digital earlier Tuesday that individual federal agencies are in control as to what actions will be taken against government employees who did not respond to an Office of Personnel Management email asking for a bullet-point list of what they accomplished during the previous work week

"Agencies should consider any appropriate actions regarding employees who fail to respond to activity," a White House official told Fox News Digital Tuesday. "It is agency leadership’s decision as to what actions are taken." 

Individual federal agencies are in control as to what actions will be taken against government employees who did not respond to an Office of Personnel Management productivity email, a White House official said. (Jon Elswick/The Associated Press)

A handful of federal departments that deal with sensitive and classified information told staffers to ignore the order to list their accomplishments, which President Donald Trump said on Monday was a "friendly" rejection due to the sensitive materials some government employees handle on a regular basis. 

FBI Director Kash Patel, the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security were among the agencies and departments that informed staff to not respond to the email. 

President Donald Trump lauded the directive, arguing that it will expose government employees who aren't actually carrying out tasks. (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)

"That was done in a friendly manner," Trump said Monday while speaking with the media alongside French President Emmanuel Macron. "Only things such as, perhaps Marco at State Department, where they have very confidential things. Or the FBI, where they're working on confidential things. And they don't mean that in any way combatively with Elon. They're just saying there are some people that you don't want to really have them tell you what they're working on last week."

MUSK'S DEMAND THAT FED EMPLOYEES LIST THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS ROILS WORKFORCE: 'MASS CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE'

Other Trump officials, such as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Small Business Association Administrator Kelly Loeffler and Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins, publicly reported their accomplishments for the previous work week on social media or in comments to Fox News Digital. 

Following the deadline, Musk posted a meme on X showing Greek mythology warrior Achilles and an arrow piercing his heel. A caption over the Greek figure reads, "Largest most entrenched bureaucracy on earth," while a caption over the arrow reads, "What did you get done last week?"  

Trump lauded the directive Monday, arguing that it will expose government employees who aren't actually carrying out tasks.

"There was a lot of genius in sending it," Trump said Monday from the White House. "We're trying to find out if people are working. And so we're sending a letter to people. Please tell us what you did last week. If people don't respond, it's very possible that there is no such person or they're not working."