Updated January 29, 2025 at 11:27 AM ET
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 memo was not clear on whether employees who choose to resign would be expected to work between now and Sept. 30. It did explicitly say that they would not have to comply with return-to-office plans.
An OPM spokesperson told NPR Tuesday night that the expectation is that employees would be put on administrative leave until they leave.
Later, the agency posted an FAQ stating: "Except in rare cases determined by your agency, you are not expected to work."
Still, the competing language left many workers confused, and skeptical.
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.
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