On Politics

Mon Feb 24 2025

Rebecca Morin | Senior National News Reporter

@RebeccaMorin_

Hello! It's Rebecca Morin, senior national news reporter at USA TODAY. I'm manifesting beautiful spring weather for this week.

Elon Musk says federal employees must report what work they did or lose their jobs

After mass layoffs hit thousands of federal workers over the past week, Elon Musk, the billionaire adviser to President Donald Trump and unofficial leader of the Department of Government Efficiency, is now hitting workers with a new ultimatum: report "what did you do last week" before 11:59 p.m. on Monday or do not respond – which will be taken as a resignation. Musk's email said asked workers to list "5 bullets of what you accomplished last week and cc your manager." Read more.

Agencies are divided on how they're directing employees to respond – or not – to Musk's email. Managers at an array of agencies, including the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Education and Commerce as well as at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National Institutes of Health and the Internal Revenue Service, advised their employees not to answer the email as they sought clearer legal guidance. Read more.

•	Defense Dept. publicly tells staff to ignore Musk's email
•	Federal agency investigating Musk's Tesla hit with DOGE layoffs
•	Tracking federal layoffs 2025: See the impacted agencies

Despite the broad firings ordered by Trump, his administration has rolled back some terminations, including swiftly rehiring employees including veterinarians treating the bird flu outbreak, people working on the nation's nuclear weapons program, and others who manage a hydroelectric dam in the Pacific Northwest. Read more.

•	VA health workers fear firings will hurt critical services

Protesting Musk (and Tesla)

Demonstrators gather for a protest against Elon Musk and electric car maker Tesla on Saturday in Seattle, Washington.

David Ryder, Getty Images

A politics pit stop

•	Trump names MAGA podcaster Dan Bongino as FBI deputy director
•	Zelenskyy says he would step down if Ukraine can join NATO, blasts Trump mineral pitch
•	Do Americans approve of President Trump? Here's what polls say a month into office
•	Watch: Millions of dead people aren't getting Social Security benefits
•	Trump removes Resolute Desk from Oval Office while being refinished

White House broadcasts immigration raids, but are arrests really up?

In the first week after Donald Trump took office, ICE posted an "enforcement update" online tallying its arrests to show the efforts being taken to enforce the president's promised mass deportations. Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem in a video posted online wore a bulletproof vest in New York City as she was on site for a raid. Despite the media blitz projecting images of an unrelenting nationwide sweep, so far, the deportation of migrants is well below the monthly average during the Biden administration, and there is little evidence that ICE is arresting or detaining any more people than usual. Read more.

Could $5,000 DOGE stimulus checks really happen?

Hoping for another stimulus check? Well, don't count on it just yet. President Donald Trump is considering giving 20% of "DOGE savings" to citizens, or a $5,000 refund check. But the Department of Government Efficiency must meet its $2 trillion savings goal to make the kickback feasible. And Elon Musk, the unofficial leader of DOGE, said that accomplishment may not be doable. Read more.

Got a burning question, or comment, for On Politics? You can submit them here or send me an email at rdmorin@usatoday.com.