*

Workers asked to report weekly on their work

*

Musk says response is mandatory, but no threat of

retaliation

for noncompliance

*

Last weekend's emails ordered reports by Monday or

resignation

*

First effort stymied by some agencies, like State and

Justice

departments

(Adds new details on DHS, SSA, Musk comments)

By Valerie Volcovici and Alexandra Alper

WASHINGTON, March 1 (Reuters) - The Trump administration

sent out a second round of emails on Friday evening demanding

all federal employees summarize their work over the past week

after the first effort a week ago fizzled amid a wave of

confusing directives.

Reuters has confirmed that the emails from the government's

human resources arm, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management,

were sent to multiple agencies, asking workers to list five

things they accomplished during the week.

The move marks a renewed push by billionaire Elon Musk and

his Department of Government Efficiency team to assess the

performance of government employees as the administration looks

to mass layoffs to dramatically trim the federal footprint.

"The President has made it clear that this is mandatory for

the executive branch," Musk wrote on X. "Anyone working on

classified or other sensitive matters is still required to

respond if they receive the email, but can simply reply that

their work is sensitive."

Musk attempted a similar tack last week, along with a threat

that noncompliant workers could be fired, but he was stymied

when some agencies such as the State and Justice Departments

told their employees to stick to the chain of command.

Ultimately, OPM informed agencies that responding to the

emails was voluntary.

But Musk, with President Donald Trump's backing, continued

to press for the emails as a means they said to hold workers

accountable. Both men suggested that some federal employees on

the payroll do not exist.

Critics, including Democratic lawmakers and labor unions,

say widespread cuts could hamper crucial government functions

and services.

The second round of emails does not include any threat of

retaliation for noncompliance but say workers are expected to

send responses at the beginning of each work week.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed Pentagon workers

to comply, according to media reports, but the State Department

again told their employees to hold off, according to a directive

seen by Reuters.

The Department of Homeland Security told its employees to

respond to an internal DHS email address, labeled

"accountability" because of its national security

responsibilities, according to a memo reviewed by Reuters.

The Justice Department also received the directive. The

acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Ed Martin,

told workers in his office to comply, according to a message

seen by Reuters.

"All federal government departments are cooperating with

@DOGE," Musk posted on Saturday. "For State, DoD and a few

others, the supervisors are gathering the weekly accomplishments

on behalf of individual contributors."

Reuters was able to confirm the emails were also sent to

employees at the Internal Revenue Service, the National Oceanic

and Atmospheric Administration and the National Institutes for

Health. Those agencies have all been targeted by DOGE for

layoffs.

Musk's team last week instructed agencies across the

government to submit plans by March 13 for a "significant

reduction" in staffing across the federal workforce.

LAYOFFS CONTINUE

Already, about 100,000 workers have taken buyouts or been

fired after DOGE was dispatched by Trump to gut federal staffing

and spending. There are about 2.3 million federal employees in

all.

The layoffs have occurred in such haphazard fashion that

some agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration have been

forced to recall key personnel in order to ensure public safety.

On Friday, the Social Security Administration, which sends

out benefit checks to tens of millions of Americans, said it

would cut 7,000 people from its workforce and shutter several

regional offices.

Most recently, the Trump administration has pulled the plug

on a team of tech-savvy civil servants that helped build the

Internal Revenue Service's free tax filing service and revamped

websites across government.

In an email sent overnight to employees of the U.S. General

Services Administration (GSA) and seen by Reuters, the GSA's

Director of Technology Transformation Services Thomas Shedd said

the team - known as 18F - had been identified as "non-critical."

Formed at the tail end of the Barack Obama administration,

the unit acted as an internal tech consultancy within

government, ferreting out duplication and waste, streamlining

bureaucratic processes, and making public-facing websites more

user-friendly.

Questions about Musk's role and DOGE are at the heart of

multiple lawsuits seeking to block them from accessing

government systems and confidential data. The suits allege that

Musk and DOGE are violating the Constitution by wielding the

kind of vast power that only comes from agencies created through

the U.S. Congress or appointments made with confirmation by the

U.S. Senate.

Musk's actions have also caused some tension and confusion

among Trump's White House aides, although Trump himself is said

to be wholly on board with the effort.

The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX is not a Cabinet-level

official and did not face U.S. Senate confirmation. The Trump

administration has been evasive about exactly what role he plays

within DOGE.

(Additional reporting by Humerya Pamuk, Tim Reid, Rafael

Satter, Jasper Ward, Marisa Taylor, Sarah N. Lynch and Ned

Parker. Writing by James Oliphant, Editing by Franklin Paul and

Marguerita Choy)