Yogi Berra was a brilliant baseball player and manager. He is also famous for his comically wise sayings which are known as ‘Yogiisms’. This fits the current political climate, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Washington DC, in a move reminiscent of Elon Musk’s radical transformation of Twitter, President Donald Trump and Musk—now leading the Department of Government Efficiency—are applying the same aggressive restructuring tactics to the federal bureaucracy. Their plan? A sweeping, overnight renovation that rewards those who align with their vision and encourages others to leave.
Federal Buyouts: “Take the Money and Run”
The Trump administration is offering millions of federal workers a chance to resign voluntarily in exchange for extended pay and benefits. Through a government-wide “deferred resignation” program, employees who accept the buyout by February 6 will continue receiving compensation until September 30, but they won’t be required to work.
🚨 How the Buyout Works:
✔ Employees receive an email with the subject “Fork in the Road”—the same phrase Musk used when restructuring Twitter.
✔ To accept, workers simply need to reply “Resign”—a no-questions-asked departure.
✔ The initiative aims to ensure loyalty to the administration’s new efficiency standards.
A senior administration official told NBC News:
“We’re five years past COVID, and just 6% of federal employees work full-time in the office. That is unacceptable.”
The White House expects up to 10% of federal employees to take the offer, significantly shrinking the federal workforce.
Musk’s Twitter Playbook Comes to Washington
Musk, known for his aggressive cost-cutting measures, praised the buyout as “fair & generous” on X (formerly Twitter). The approach mirrors how he slashed Twitter’s workforce after acquiring the platform in 2022, issuing an ultimatum for employees to either commit to “hardcore” work hours or accept a three-month severance package.
What’s Next for the Federal Workforce?
While the administration claims this move will increase efficiency, critics warn that a mass exodus of federal workers could lead to government dysfunction. With a temporary legal block on the funding freeze and uncertainty surrounding the policy’s implementation, it remains to be seen whether this drastic strategy will succeed—or backfire.
What do you think? Is this a step toward efficiency or a risky gamble? Let us know in the comments!
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Should be interesting.
What do you mean, a CHANCE to resign? Just fire them. Give them their notice and let them go. What, you can’t identify where the slack in the line is, so you’re going to give THEM the option? And keep paying them until the end of September if they take it? September? For what?
I thought the same thing. 8 months full salary for doing nothing is a huge incentive for these parasites.
You know NOTHING about that email. Or how OPM and the federal agencies work. Trump doesn’t have the authority to offer a deferred retirement nor does the $$ exist for it. The email was riddled with I accuracies and I accuracy. No sane federal employee would agree to it …. They don’t guarantee you won’t be fired during your “deferred retirement.*. Complete bluster with no reality behind it. It was a cheap reguritation of Musk’s Twitter threat.
Last time I checked Trump has a mandate, bucko. And he’s not afraid to get things done. He’s been issuing orders the minute he got into office and hasn’t stopped! When was the last time you saw that? 2025 is going to be rough for you lazy liberal whiners.
Over 50% of voters voted for someone else (Harris, Greene, Kennedy, Oliver, etc). He beat Harris by 1.5% of the popular vote, not exactly a landslide.
Where’s the “mandate” you refer to. Again, more than 50% of voters voted for someone else.
Facts matter.
PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP: “America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate.”
I’ve got your facts right here, next to the box of tissues.
Federal employees are parasites? Which ones? The one who oversee your food safety? The one who make sure vaccines are safe? The ones who ensure your air is clean? The ones who disperse SSI checks to your parents? The ones who make sure rural areas have access to Internet? The ones who work in security and intelligence and (attempt) to screen disinformation? The ones who set standards for safe infrastructure? Etc.
The driest of humor right here. Bravo.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on OPM’s Deferred Resignation Program Email
What is the Deferred Resignation Program?
The Deferred Resignation Program (“Program”) was introduced by an email sent to federal employees on January 28, 2025. Preceded by threats to modify and downsize the federal workforce, the Program purports to allow federal employees to submit a resignation letter that will become effective on September 30, 2025. In exchange, the Program claims that employees will be exempt from “Return to Office” requirements and will maintain their current compensation and benefits until the effective date of their resignation. Employees should not take the Program at face value. The Program documentation, including the introductory email, an associated guidance memorandum issued by the Office of Personnel Management (“OPM”) are riddled with inconsistencies and uncertainties. It is also unclear whether OPM has the legal authority to support the Program or its alleged benefits, and the eligibility criteria are vague.
Is the Program a buyout?
No, the Program is not buyout nor is it a Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (“VISP”) program. Instead, it purports to offer employees the ability to submit a deferred resignation and claims employees that do so will continue to receive pay, while still possibly working, until September 30, 2025. Notably, however, the Program contains no guarantee that an employee’s resignation will be accepted. Nor does the Program guarantee that an employee’s whose resignation is accepted will receive the benefits that the Program purports to offer.
If an employee chooses to accept the program, are they required to work during the deferred resignation period?
They may be. OPM’s statements are conflicting on this point. According to the OPM email and letter, employees will not be required to work in person but may be assigned remote work duties. The OPM FAQ page also suggests that employees will not be required to work except in “rare cases,” without defining what constitutes “rare cases.” At the same time, the FAQs describe the deferred resignation period as a “nice vacation” and the Program states that employees may be placed on “paid administrative leave.”
Will employees who opt-in be protected from termination before their resignation date?
Nothing in the Program documentation purports to prohibit the termination or separation of an employee who accepts deferred resignation. While the OPM email suggests that employees will maintain their compensation and benefits until the effective date of their resignation date, it does not explicitly state that employees are shielded from layoffs or other adverse actions before September 30, 2025. There is no guarantee that employees opting in to the Program will not be targeted for such actions. The Program also does not indicate what may occur in the event of a lapse in congressional appropriations. At present, many agencies of the federal government are only funded through March 14, 2025.
What legal recourse do employees have if the government does not honor the terms of deferred resignation?
It is unclear what recourse, if any, employees might have if the government fails to honor the terms of their deferred resignation. There is no certainty that the statements made in the OPM Program documents will be legally enforceable. Even if the email and FAQ page are interpreted as an implied contract or offer, there is no guarantee that such a claim would be enforceable. For example, while each case will be fact-specific, resignation is generally considered to be a voluntary action. It is therefore unclear whether violations of the policy would be appealable to the Merit Systems Protection Board, through the grievance process, or any other forum.
How can employees ensure the administration will follow through on the Program?
Given the inconsistencies between Program’s various documents issued by OPM, as well as the ambiguous and conflicting language regarding work obligations and exclusions, there is no guarantee that the claims in the Program will be honored by the Government. The Program may also face legal challenges that could alter the terms of all or portions of the Program. Employees who opt-in to the Program will be at the mercy of the administrators of the Program, whose claims contain inconsistencies and lack stated legal underpinning.
Is there an assurance that the promised continued salary will be funded? No.
There is a statutory limit on the amount of buy-out the government can offer…something like 8 weeks. But this isn’t a buy-out. It’s an offer of “deferred retirement” with no guarantee that you will be paid if you accept (see comments below). The adminstration has NO authority to offer a “deferred retirement.” This was a regurgitation of a Musk email to Twitter employees before he purchased the company and fired them.
You know NOTHING about that email. Or how OPM and the federal agencies work. Trump doesn’t have the authority to offer a deferred retirement nor does the $$ exist for it. The email was riddled with I accuracies and I accuracy. No sane federal employee would agree to it …. They don’t guarantee you won’t be fired during your “deferred retirement.*. Complete bluster with no reality behind it. It was a cheap reguritation of Musk’s Twitter threat.
Hey, look how many people walk around in the water department. I don’t understand you go back 10 years ago. You didn’t have that many people in management all these bosses why the water is not better and that’s amazing when there’s an issue with employees they can’t even keep it at a simple level everything has to go up top ridiculous, and only do is worry about the GPS give me a break. Oh, it’s gonna save us money stop your bullshit. Oh, we are installing it because there’s too many vehicles idling yeah OK tell me another story, we installed it so we know that the recycling sanitation the Salter all the plow truck went down the road I get it for that physical complaint, but then I utilizing it for that to utilize to screw people fire them, don’t tell me another story. I’m tired of bullshit. They think we’re stupid. It’s actually insulting. Well I’m here to say, any time you would like to meet you reach out to me you know who this is I would love to give you a verbal ass beaten.
More than 52% of federal workers work in their offices full time.. very few work fully remote. Facts matter.
You know NOTHING about that email. Or how OPM and the federal agencies work. Trump doesn’t have the authority to offer a deferred retirement nor does the $$ exist for it. The email was riddled with I accuracies and I accuracy. No sane federal employee would agree to it …. They don’t guarantee you won’t be fired during your “deferred retirement.*. Complete bluster with no reality behind it. It was a cheap reguritation of Musk’s Twitter threat.
What we do know is the top officials cannot stand freedom of speech, they cannot stand the Ridgewood blog, they would love to control all of us. But that will never happen because we are onto their bullshit. The top management is acting like a bunch of bullies. I offered many times to meet on neutral ground and they refused. Because they know they’re dirty my lawyer has ripped them apart and they can’t swallow it. Oh yeah.