Elon Musk, as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), announced a new directive requiring federal employees to submit a report detailing their accomplishments from the last week, or potentially risk job termination. The mandate has caused controversy among some government workers, labor unions, and Democratic lawmakers.

“This is a prime opportunity for mass civil disobedience. Musk has no authority to enforce this,” Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) posted on X, encouraging federal employees to continue their work despite the directive.

Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) also criticized Musk, referring to the move as “the ultimate bad boss move” and denouncing his lack of formal authority over federal employees.

Musk announced on X that employees would soon receive an email requesting a summary of their weekly tasks. According to him, completing the report should take no more than five minutes, and failure to comply would be considered a resignation. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) reportedly distributed the directive, setting a deadline of 11:59 p.m. on Monday for submissions.

Trump has expressed satisfaction with Musk’s efforts to investigate government inefficiency and urged him to be even more assertive. Musk responded on X, stating, “Will do, Mr. President!”

Musk defended the initiative stating that some government employees contribute so little that they do not even check their official email accounts. He further claimed that fraudulent practices, such as payments to nonexistent or deceased individuals, necessitate greater oversight and accountability in federal employment.

Unions, including the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), pushed back against the directive. A chapter of NTEU, representing FDA employees, advised its members against complying with the request until further information was available.

Everett Kelley, national president of AFGE, condemned Musk’s directive as disrespectful to federal employees, particularly veterans in civil service roles. He pledged to challenge any wrongful terminations resulting from the mandate.

Fox News reports that the newly confirmed FBI Director Kash Patel informed staff that productivity reviews would be managed internally, advising employees to refrain from responding to external requests. The State Department and NSA issued similar directives, stating that responses to OPM’s request would be coordinated through official channels.