Federal employees who’ve ignored Elon Musk’s request for work accountability may soon face consequences as the Trump administration intensifies its hunt for “ghost workers” on government payrolls. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has sent a second email demanding employees report their weekly accomplishments or risk termination.
They have one more chance!
At a Glance
- DOGE has sent a follow-up email to federal employees requesting weekly work summaries
- Employees who fail to respond a second time may face termination
- President Trump supports the initiative, suggesting non-responders may be “ghost workers”
- The effort aims to identify fraud and inefficiency within the federal workforce
- Remote work during the pandemic has raised concerns about employee productivity and accountability
The Hunt for Ghost Workers
The Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk, has launched a second email campaign targeting federal employees who failed to respond to previous requests for detailed work reports. This latest effort reflects the Trump administration’s commitment to rooting out inefficiency and potential fraud within the bloated federal bureaucracy, where some employees may be collecting paychecks without performing actual work.
President Donald Trump has enthusiastically endorsed Musk’s approach, suggesting that non-responses might indicate a serious problem of phantom employees.
“Maybe we’re paying people that don’t exist,” President Donald Trump said.
And that’s exactly the point. In fact, Musk said during an interview with Joe Rogan in recent days that people who don’t exist are in fact getting paid.
The concern has grown particularly acute following the pandemic-era shift to remote work, which has made it more difficult to monitor employee productivity and presence.
A Simple Test of Responsiveness
The email campaign represents a basic accountability measure designed to verify that federal employees are actually working for their taxpayer-funded salaries. Recipients are asked to provide summaries of their weekly work accomplishments, with responses expected to be analyzed using artificial intelligence technology to evaluate job necessity.
Musk has also called it a “pulse check” to ensure that people on the payroll are actually working for the government.
While the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) officially sent the emails, responses must be copied to managers, creating an additional layer of accountability. The latest messages have taken on a more serious tone than previous communications, with clearer implications for those who continue to ignore the directives.
The initiative has faced predictable resistance from federal employee unions and some agency leaders, who have instructed their staff not to respond, citing concerns about confidentiality and the sensitive nature of government work. These objections highlight the entrenched bureaucratic interests that the Trump administration aims to reform through DOGE’s efficiency measures.
Imagine hating efficiency so much that you don’t like…emails being sent to employees?
