Home NEWS Government Administration’s “Fork In The Road” Program Stuns Federal Employees Tuesday

Administration’s “Fork In The Road” Program Stuns Federal Employees Tuesday

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Federal workers – several dozen of whom apparently live within our coverage range – expressed dismay over a Trump administration proposal suggesting they accept a “deferred resignation” option designed to end work-from-home employment and sent via a specialized email system to nearly all government workers late Tuesday afternoon.

The White House estimates that up to 10 percent of federal employees will take the offer and quit in September, a move a senior administration official said could mean an estimated $100 billion in savings.

None of the workers contacting this site following Tuesday’s message expressed any interest in the offer, sent by the administration’s HR team with the title “Fork In The Road” and slugged of “High” importance.

Employees have until Feb. 6 to decide whether to participate.

“If you resign under this program, you will retain all pay and benefits regardless of your daily workload and will be exempted from all applicable in-person work requirements until September 30, 2025 (or earlier if you choose to accelerate your resignation for any reason),” the email states.

Some of those who contacted this site pointed to what they said was a “troubling” sub-paragraph contained in the email and entitled: “Enhanced standards of conduct.”

‘The federal workforce should be comprised of employees who are reliable, loyal, trustworthy, and who strive for excellence in their daily work,” the section reads. “Employees will be subject to enhanced standards of suitability and conduct as we move forward. Employees who engage in unlawful behavior or other misconduct will be prioritized for appropriate investigation and discipline, including termination.”

Administration officials said all full-time federal employees are eligible for early resignation – excluding members of the military, employees of the U.S. Postal Service, positions related to immigration enforcement and national security and other key jobs.

“American taxpayers pay for the salaries of federal government employees, and therefore deserve employees working on their behalf who actually show up to work in our wonderful federal buildings, also paid for by taxpayers,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “If they don’t want to work in the office and contribute to making America great again, then they are free to choose a different line of work, and the Trump Administration will provide a very generous payout of 8 months.”

Workers were struck by similarities between Tuesday’s email and one Elon Musk sent to Twitter employees when the billionaire took over that company — also titled “Fork in the Road.” As with Tuesday’s proposal, the Musk email also had a similar “click yes or no” form at the bottom.

13 COMMENTS

  1. It’s not as if we didn’t know this would be the game plan all along. Americans just shrugged and signed on the dotted line.

  2. I want to be mature and take this seriously, but I got stuck on the opening line wherein he is referred to as, “President rump”.

  3. “….employees who engage in unlawful behavior or other misconduct will be prioritized for appropriate investigation and discipline, including termination*.”

    *does not apply to the President, Secretary of Defense, Senior Counselor for Trade & Manufacturing, HHS, DNI, FBI, or anybody else who expresses sufficient fealty to Our Dear Leader.

  4. If you gut the tax collection, and the clean air and water regulation, and those expensive VA services, what do you have? Oligo-party! Wheee! squealed the little piggy!

  5. In the private sector, voluntary layoff offers are common. They include both a sweetener and a threat of involuntary layoffs with no sweetener if not enough people volunteer. It’s not fair but it’s how companies stay solvent.

    If government jobs are 100% secure for life with fully inflation adjusted retirement for decades, the pay while working needs to be much lower. Don’t get me started on fire department pay and benefits.

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