Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
The Trump administration is offering nearly all federal workers the opportunity to resign from their posts now and still retain full pay and benefits through Sept. 30.
The notice, sent via an email blast from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Tuesday afternoon, gave employees until Feb. 6 to accept the deal.
Employees wishing to resign were instructed to reply to the email from their government accounts with the word “Resign” and hit send.
The expectation is that employees would be put on administrative leave until they leave, according to an OPM spokesperson.
The memo thanks those who opt to remain in their jobs but adds, “At this time, we cannot give you full assurance regarding the certainty of your position or agency.”
The Trump administration is offering this “deferred resignation” to nearly all full-time federal employees, with the exception of military personnel, employees of the U.S. Postal Service, those in positions related to immigration enforcement and national security, and those in any other positions specifically excluded by agency leadership.
Just hours after being sworn in, President Trump signed a presidential memo ordering federal workers to return to their offices five days a week, while leaving some room for exemptions.
Already, some workers have been given return-to-office dates, while others, including many covered by collective bargaining agreements, are still waiting to hear how the order affects them.
Critics of the plan say forcing federal workers back to the office full-time is just part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to compel career employees to quit en masse, making way for political loyalists.
In an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal last fall, Trump adviser Elon Musk forecast as much, saying voluntary terminations would be welcome.
The OPM email, with the subject line “Fork in the Road,” was reminiscent of one that Musk sent Twitter employees after buying the social media platform in 2022. He fired many of the company’s employees; others quit in droves.
Trump says he’s ending Secret Service protection for Biden’s adult children
President Trump said he was ending "immediately" the Secret Service protection details assigned to Democrat Joe Biden's adult children.
Israel launches deadly series of attacks on Gaza
Israel said the early Tuesday attacks were launched after Hamas refused to release more hostages held in Gaza. The strikes appeared to end the current ceasefire that took began in mid-January.
He lost his first LA Marathon medal in the fires — this weekend he got his second
15-year-old fire survivor Abel Rivera's home in Altadena burned down in January, and he lost everything — including his medal for finishing the 2024 LA Marathon.
A U.S. airman is charged in death of a South Dakota woman who had vanished in August
Quinterius Chappelle was arrested on a federal charge of second-degree murder in the death of Sahela Sangrait, according to the Pennington County Sheriff's Office.
Harvard will be free for students whose families make $100,000 or less
The expanded financial aid plan will also offer free tuition to families that make $200,000 or less. The move comes after affirmative action was barred from the admissions process.
Judge seeks sworn declaration from Justice Department in deportation case
At issue was whether plane-loads of alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang were deported despite the judge's order to turn the planes around.
