Elon Musk has set Washington ablaze with a simple demand: federal employees must justify their jobs—or consider themselves out. For a workforce long shielded from scrutiny, the shock is palpable. Musk’s directive wasn’t a mere suggestion; failure to respond meant automatic resignation. After immediate pushback from Trump administration officials, Musk softened—slightly. A second chance has been granted, but miss it, and you’re gone.
The backlash was instant. The Department of Health and Human Services scrambled to warn employees, advising them to keep responses vague, fearing “malign foreign actors” could intercept details about their work. That says a lot, doesn’t it? If your job is so sensitive you can’t even explain what you do, maybe there’s a bigger issue at play.
Trump himself backed Musk’s move, calling it “great” and cutting through the noise: “By asking the question, ‘Tell us what you did this week,’ what he’s doing is saying, ‘Are you actually working?’” That simple question has exposed a federal workforce uncomfortable with scrutiny.
Musk’s demand aligns with broader federal reforms. OPM has given agencies until March 7 to submit data on performance management plans. Translation: it’s not just Musk asking if they’re working—Trump’s administration is preparing to clean house. Under new rules, agencies must make meaningful distinctions in employee performance and swiftly remove those who fail to meet standards.
Musk isn’t running OPM, but his influence is clear. He sits on DOGE, a newly formed advisory board tasked with government efficiency. The man at the helm of OPM, Charles Ezell, isn’t your typical D.C. insider. A Georgia native and church elder, Ezell has no interest in protecting Washington’s status quo. Instead, he’s aligning federal agencies with Trump’s executive orders to reform hiring and cut dead weight.
The goal? A federal workforce based on skill, merit, and dedication to American values—not tenure, not bureaucratic inertia, and certainly not political favoritism. With Musk’s ultimatum and Trump’s hiring overhaul, the message is loud and clear: The days of government jobs as untouchable, unaccountable lifetime gigs are over.
Sources:
https://byfaithonline.com/chuck-ezell-managing-people-and-serving-the-president/
