Federal employees gathered outside the Treasury Department in Washington, D.C., on February 4, 2025, to protest against a controversial resignation offer from the Trump administration, which many view as a threat to their job security. The rally coincided with a critical deadline for federal workers to decide whether to accept the administration’s "Fork in the Road" offer, which would allow them to resign while retaining their pay and benefits through September 30, 2025.
As the deadline approached, U.S. District Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. was set to preside over a virtual hearing regarding a request from labor unions for a temporary restraining order against the resignation offer. The lawsuit, filed by the legal group Democracy Forward on behalf of unions representing over 800,000 civil servants, claims that the offer is arbitrary, capricious, and unlawful. The unions argue that this resignation proposal could undermine the functioning of the federal government and is a pretext for ideologically motivated layoffs.
The resignation offer has been extended to more than 2 million federal employees, including those in critical positions at the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency, despite earlier exclusions. By late Wednesday, approximately 40,000 employees had already agreed to resign, which represents about 2% of those eligible. However, many remain skeptical about the legality and implications of the offer, which has caused confusion and concern among the workforce.
Union leaders have voiced their opposition, highlighting that the offer fails to account for the potential negative impact on government operations and sets an unreasonably short deadline for decision-making. They also challenge the authority of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which announced the offer, arguing that it may have overstepped its bounds by promising pay and benefits through the end of September when funding for most federal agencies is set to expire on March 14, 2025.
The Antideficiency Act prohibits federal agencies from committing funds that have not been approved by Congress, raising further questions about the legality of the resignation offer. As the deadline looms, many federal employees, like Labor Department worker David Casserly, express their determination to assert their rights and resist the pressure to resign. Casserly, also a member of the American Federation of Government Employees, noted that the original "Fork" email warned employees that their jobs were not guaranteed if they chose to stay, which has only heightened fears of impending layoffs.
Despite the administration’s expectations of a surge in resignations as the deadline nears, the atmosphere among federal workers remains tense, with many choosing to stand firm in their positions rather than succumb to what they perceive as undue pressure. The unfolding situation reflects broader concerns about job security and the future of federal employment under the current administration.