A recent mandate from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) requiring federal employees to submit a five-bullet point list of their accomplishments from the previous week has been met with resistance, even within the Trump administration, as per Bloomberg.
The request, sent via email on Saturday, has been criticized by employee unions, Democrats in Congress, and is now drawing concern from leaders of federal agencies.
The OPM quickly clarified that numerous federal employees would be exempt, including those on leave Monday, those without email access, and those granted exemptions by their agency heads. The Departments of Defense, State, and Homeland Security, as well as the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, have all granted exemptions.
Furthermore, a memo from acting OPM Director Charles Ezell stated that senior presidential advisor Elon Musk is also exempt from the mandate.
This pushback highlights a growing tension between Musk’s internal cost-cutting initiative, known as DOGE, and Trump loyalists leading federal agencies. Musk’s efforts to streamline the federal workforce, which numbered 2.4 million in January according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, have intensified amidst urging from President Trump to be more aggressive in downsizing the civilian workforce.
President Trump defended Musk’s actions earlier Monday, explaining hem as a legitimate attempt to combat fraud and waste within the government.
“I thought it was great, because we have people that don’t show up to work, and nobody even knows that they work for the government,” Trump said during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. “There was a lot of genius in sending it.”
