Original Deferred Resignation Email to Federal Employees ("Fork in the Road")

In a January 28, 2025, the email address hr@opm.gov sent an email offering nearly all executive branch employees what it called a "deferred resignation" offer. The email offered that employees could submit their resignations post-dated for September 30, 2025, and go on administrative leave, whereby the employees would not work but would continue to be paid, until their resignation became effective at the end of September. At the time the email was sent, a hiring freeze barred backfilling most positions. Additionally, the Trump Administration had recently mandated in-office work for most employees, but employees who accepted the "Fork in the Road" offer would be exempted from telework requirements. For employees who chose not to leave, the email warned that "the majority of federal agencies are likely to be downsized through restructurings, realignments, and reductions in force." Elon Musk was generally credited with having been behind the deferred resignation offer.