Elon Musk gives all federal workers 48 hours to explain what they did last week
New York, Feb 23 (AP): Hundreds of thousands of federal workers have little more than 48 hours to explain what they accomplished over the last week as part of billionaire Elon Musk's crusade to slash what he describes as "waste everywhere" in the federal government.
Musk, who serves as President Donald Trump's cost-cutting chief, teased the extraordinary request on his social media network on Saturday.
"Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump's instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week," Musk posted on X, which he owns. "Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation."
Shortly afterward, federal employees received a three-line email with this instruction: "Please reply to this email with approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week and cc your manager."
The deadline to respond is Monday at 11:59 pm.
Thousands of government employees have already been forced out of the federal workforce — either by being fired or offered a buyout — during the first month of Trump's administration as the White House and Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency fire both new and career workers, tell agency leaders to plan for "large-scale reductions in force" and freeze trillions of dollars in federal grant funds.
There is no official figure available for the total firings or layoffs so far, but The Associated Press has tallied hundreds of thousands of workers who are being affected. Many work outside of Washington. The cuts include thousands at the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense, Health and Human Services, the Internal Revenue Service and the National Parks Service, among others.
AFGE President Everett Kelley quickly condemned the ultimatum as an example of Trump and Musk's "utter disdain for federal employees and the critical services they provide to the American people".
"It is cruel and disrespectful to hundreds of thousands of veterans who are wearing their second uniform in the civil service to be forced to justify their job duties to this out-of-touch, privileged, unelected billionaire who has never performed one single hour of honest public service in his life," Kelley said. "AFGE will challenge any unlawful terminations of our members and federal employees across the country."
Musk on Friday celebrated his new role at a gathering of conservatives by waving a giant chainsaw in the air. He called it "the chainsaw for bureaucracy" and said, "Waste is pretty much everywhere" in the federal government.
McLaurine Pinover, a spokesperson at the Office of Personnel Management, confirmed Musk's directive and said that individual agencies would "determine any next steps".
What happens if an employee is on leave or vacation? Again, she said individual agencies would determine how to proceed.
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3 killed in landslide during road widening at Hulikal ghats in K'taka, CM announces ex-gratia
Shivamogga (Karnataka) (PTI): Three labourers were killed and four others injured after a landslide struck a road construction site at Hulikal Ghat in this district, police said on Friday.
The deceased have been identified as Raghavendra (37), Raju (30), and Shabbir (40), all engaged in wall construction work at the site, they said.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced a compensation of Rs five lakh each to the families of the deceased.
The incident occurred late Thursday afternoon at a hairpin bend in Hulikal Ghat in Hosanagara taluk, they said.
According to officials, a massive landslide of soil and rocks from the hillside buried the workers.
A total of seven workers were caught in the landslip. Three labourers died on the spot after being trapped under the debris.
Rescue teams managed to pull out four injured workers and shift them to hospitals in nearby areas, including Kundapura and Udupi, for treatment, they said.
The mishap took place during ongoing efforts to build a retaining wall aimed at ensuring the safety of vehicles navigating the ghat section, which is known for its steep curves and landslide-prone terrain.
An SDRF team from Mangaluru reached the place early Friday morning and took up relief work.
Police, fire and emergency personnel rushed to the spot soon after the incident and launched rescue operations.
Authorities said the sudden collapse of loose soil and rocks from the upper slope is suspected to have triggered the landslip.
A case has been registered, and an investigation is underway to ascertain whether adequate safety measures were in place at the worksite.
Taking to 'X', CM Siddaramaiah said that regarding the incident, I have spoken with District In-charge Minister Madhu Bangarappa and obtained information.
"I am deeply saddened to hear the news that three workers lost their lives when soil collapsed during the construction of a road barrier at a bend in Hulikal Ghat, in Hosanagara taluk of Shivamogga district. I pray that the souls of the deceased unfortunate workers attain eternal peace, and that their family members find the strength to bear this sorrow," he said.
These breadwinning lives, which were the support of their families, have been lost in this tragedy, and on humanitarian grounds, a compensation of Rs five lakh each will be provided to the families of the deceased workers, the chief minister added.
