AdvertisementAdvertisementElon Musk holds a chainsaw as he arrives to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center on Feb 20, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Maryland. (Photo: AP/Jose Luis Magana)23 Feb 2025 10:20AM Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInRead a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST WASHINGTON: Elon Musk, the billionaire advisor to Donald Trump, said on Saturday (Feb 22) that all US federal employees must justify their work or lose their jobs, hours after the president pushed him to be "more aggressive" in slashing government spending.Musk - the world's richest person and Trump's biggest donor - has led the effort to fire swathes of the government workforce."All federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation," Musk wrote.According to a copy of the email provided to AFP, federal workers were asked to submit "approx 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week".The email, with the subject line "What did you do last week?", came from the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The deadline to reply was 11.59 pm on Monday, though the message did not say failure to do so would lead to termination.The OPM did not immediately reply to AFP's request for comment on Saturday evening.The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest federal employee union, vowed to challenge any unlawful terminations in a statement from national president Everett Kelley.Kelley slammed Musk and the Trump administration, saying the move showed "their 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," he said.Several federal employees told AFP they were advised by their agencies not to respond to the email and wait for further instruction, a recommendation echoed by the National Treasury Employees Union.Commentary: Whatever Elon Musk says, DOGE is not the answer to improving productivityCommentary: Elon Musk is torching America on behalf of Donald Trump"MORE AGGRESSIVE"Earlier on Saturday, Trump said on his Truth Social platform that Musk was "doing a great job, but I would like to see him get more aggressive"."Remember, we have a country to save," the Republican leader added.Trump has put the tech entrepreneur in charge of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) advisory body, tasking him with slashing public spending and tackling alleged waste and corruption.In the latest cuts announced on Friday, the US Defense Department is to reduce its civilian workforce by at least five per cent starting next week.Trump's administration has already begun firing many other federal workers who are on probationary status.DOGE is a free-ranging entity run by Musk, though its cost-cutting spree has been met with pushback on several fronts and mixed court rulings.A judge on Thursday denied a union bid to temporarily halt the firing of thousands of people.Musk said earlier this week he would work with Trump for as long as he "can be helpful," as the pair dismissed concerns over conflicts of interest due to the tycoon's government contracts."Elon is doing a great job," Trump told a meeting of conservative activists on Saturday, running through a list of what he said were "some of the flagrant scams" that had been uncovered."We love Elon, don't we? He's a character," Trump added. "People said, what official position does he have? I said, 'Patriot'."Musk said earlier this week DOGE was publicising its actions on its website and that the transparency would hold him accountable.Source: AFP/snSign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST