We’ve reached a critical point in the DOGE initiative. Approximately three million federal employees received an email over the past weekend that reads: “Please reply to this email with approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week and cc your manager. Please do not send any classified information, links, or attachments. Deadline is this Monday at 11:59 pm EST.”
Attorneys for federal workers filed a lawsuit on Monday saying that Elon Musk violated the law with his weekend demand that employees explain their accomplishments. This isn’t common practice in the federal workplace and some agencies.
The average pay for a federal employee is $106,000. I don’t think it’s outrageous to ask them to tell their manager what they do each week. From what I’ve read, there is little accountability in the federal government.
Surveys say most Americans have a favorable view of federal employees except those who work for the IRS, the Department of Education, and the Department of Justice. However, a majority also say the government is wasteful and inefficient. DOGE and Elon plan to take care of that.
I have no idea whether federal employees are good at their jobs or not. I find it mind-boggling that asking an employee to tell their manager what they did last week is seen as threatening. It seems that anyone drawing a salary should be able to, when asked, provide a list of what they worked on.
So, I agree with the intent of the email message but find the blunt, uncaring approach of Trump and Musk to be an issue. These are people who rely on their jobs to support their families. Don’t stop looking for ways to save money, but be a little more compassionate. People deserve that.
Discover more from The Chronicles of Egydyus
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
The Chronicles of Egydyus 
Once upon a time, I think Federal government work was noble. My uncle surveyed and made maps for the USGS. I remember him taking the Hatch Act very seriously. I would expect that many Federal workers exchanged below market pay and a steady and untaxing employment tenure for a solid pension. Somewhere along the line, all that changed. The Hatch Act was watered down and Federal workers got “market” pay to align with the private sector, without a corresponding expectation of working in alignment with the private sector. Civil service jobs were generally untouchable and politics infected the Federal workforce.
My first job was working for the State of Illinois. Supposedly a civil service job, where you got the job based upon how well you did on a standardized test for the job. Well, sort of. You also needed a “sponsor”. You needed to sell your soul to a politician who would put in a good word for you. Then you had to pass muster with the patronage people. Then, you might be considered for the job. And woe betide you if the patronage people found out you weren’t contributing time and money to the right politicians. That happened to me. I was making $25,000 a year, new baby in the house, trying to finish up grad school. Called in to the patronage people. Asked why I wasn’t doing my part. Tried to explain. Told, “Money talks and BS walks.” At that point, having seen how that sausage was made (and being told by peers that I shouldn’t work so hard because I was showing them up), I took a walk for job that paid $500 a year more.
I expect that Federal jobs these days aren’t a whole lot different, except it seems that having a particular political point of view is a prerequisite now. And acting on that point of view is expected.
I imagine there are people in those jobs trying to do a decent job and paying attention to how the taxpayers’ money is spent. But you know darn well, that when push comes to shove, those are the folks who will be sacrificed to DOGE. Not the political bureaucrats. Not the people working the system for max pay and minimum work. Honestly, I don’t find a problem with some bluntness and hard messages being directed there. God knows those of us in the private sector have had more than our share of such messaging.
LikeLike