Federal workers faced conflicting guidance from the president, their agencies and union leaders around a request to detail their professional accomplishments over the past week.

Behind the scenes, cabinet secretaries compared notes as they tried to figure out how to respond to a directive from President Trump’s most powerful adviser without angering the president.

Going forward, the emails will be required on a weekly basis. Those who work on classified and sensitive projects can respond to say they can't disclose the details of their work.