Federal employees on Friday began receiving a second email asking them to list bullet points on what they did during the past week, as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) continues to recommend cuts to the workforce.
The emails began to be sent out late Friday night with a subject line “What did you do last week? Part II,” according to a copy of the email that was obtained by The Hill.
The emails came from “hr@opm.gov,” the same address that dished out the first iteration of the accomplishment emails, which sparked confusion among workers and pushback from some Republican lawmakers.
One email, shared with The Hill, reads “Please reply to this email with approx. 5 bullets describing what you accomplished last week and cc your manager.” The message also said employees should respond by Monday at 11:59 p.m. EST “each” week, signaling the emails could become at least semi-permanent as the Trump administration seeks to curb government spending.
“Please do not send links, attachments, or any classified/sensitive information. If all of your activities are classified or sensitive, please write ‘All of my activities are sensitive,’” the email reads.
Federal workers received the first batch of emails last weekend with similar instructions, a practice that was ignited by tech mogul Elon Musk. The senior adviser to President Trump added that failure to respond to the email could end in termination.
Some department heads, including FBI Director Kash Patel and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, told their staff not to respond. Others, such as the Interior Department, told workers to issue a reply.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which works as a human resources (HR) office for the federal government but has little authority over agencies, tried to clarify the situation after the first emails were sent. OPM issued guidance earlier this week that said responses were “voluntary” and each agency could determine whether to “exclusive personnel from this expectation.”
In early February, workers sued OPM, trying to prevent the agency from utilizing the emails and computer systems linked to buyout offers it made.
Musk backed the email asking employees for a recap of their workweek, arguing during the first meeting of Trump’s Cabinet on Wednesday that it was a “pulse check” and that anyone alive and well could get it done.
Trump was also supportive of the request despite some of his agency heads telling workers that a response was not mandatory.
“I can tell you everything I’ve done for the last — long period of time,” Trump said previously. “We have a mandate to do this. And this part of the reason I got elected.”
NewsNation’s Kevin Bohn contributed reporting.
