DOGE sends emails asking EPA and other federal workers: 'What did you do last week?'

The emails, obtained by Landmark, are part of an effort by Elon Musk-led DOGE to "boost government efficiency." Musk posted on social media that failure to respond will be considered resignation.

A screenshot of the email sent to federal employees.

(Editor’s note: Are you a federal employee who works on environmental or energy issues and want to talk about something that’s happening? Landmark has the secure messaging service Signal. Send us a message.)

The White House sent emails to federal workers including those at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Saturday demanding they send five bullet points detailing the work they did in the past week, raising numerous security and ethical concerns.

The emails, which give employees until Monday at 11:59 p.m. ET to respond, were sent out with a subject line of “What did you do last week?” EPA employees told Landmark that they are unsure how, or if, to respond.

Musk, who is running the Trump White House’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), wrote on his social media platform X that the email was sent in response to directions from President Donald Trump to be “more aggressive” in his efforts.

“Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation,” Musk added, though the emails reviewed by Landmark did not explicitly stipulate that workers would lose their jobs if they do not comply.

‘The sense of defiance against this kind of bullying is much stronger’

Multiple EPA employees told Landmark that the email is being met with a mix of concern, with one saying there is a general sense that the demand is “ridiculous.”

Employees are concerned that workers on extended leave (like those on parental leave) may not see the email in time, and that government lawyers cannot respond without violating attorney-client confidentiality.

Others expressed worry that government employees with high security clearances are unable to respond without violating their clearance (though the email does warn against disclosing classified information).

One employee, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue, told Landmark that EPA workers are worried that not complying will risk their jobs, given Musk’s online post, but that “the sense of defiance against this kind of bullying is much stronger.”

“This is a blatant attempt to bully federal employees and if Elon Musk and the DOGE bros need to know what I’ve been up to, they can read the Oath of Office all employees swear upon entering federal service,” the employee said.

Another EPA worker, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, said they “don’t know how to respond to this email while still complying with my legal restrictions that I am trained on as part of my agency security.”

The employee added that EPA workers just last week received a reminder about their “ethical obligations in the workplace.”

The employee added: “I don’t see how disclosing deliberative and confidential information meets these” obligations.

The latest in the federal worker crackdown

The email is the latest in the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to reduce the federal workforce, and comes a week after thousands of probationary workers were fired at agencies including the EPA, Interior Department and Energy Department.

The legality of the effort to abruptly remove federal employees from their jobs, which has also included the removal of more than a dozen inspectors general from their jobs, is unclear.

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to immediately let the Trump administration fire Hampton Dellinger, the head of the independent agency watchdog the Office of Special Counsel, though left open the potential that the firing was legal.

The Office of Special Counsel oversees protections for whistleblowers and various other issues related to federal employees including by enforcing restrictions on political activity.