Trump’s administration adds a fine print to "Fork" Resignation offer, deepening confusion – public radio in South Carolina

A week has passed since almost all 2.3 million civilian officials of the federal government have been presented with an offer: Agree to resign from your work until February 6 and to reserve your payment and benefits by the end of September.

Now, with the deadline for accepting the offer, federal agencies have sent new terms and conditions in the form of an example contract agreement, which employees are said to be used to “remember” the deal. It is not clear which of the government will sign the agreements or whether the contracts will be legal binding.

Adding to confusion, some of the sample contract language differ from The first emailWhoever came from the US staff management service (OPM) with the subject line “Fork in the Road” and other guidelines presented so far.

Employees who make the deal are expected to work until February 28

For example, some of the sample contracts send the statement that the employees who accept the offer for the fork agree to work in February 28 to provide a smooth transition of debts and will be placed on paid administrative leave no later than March 1 S

This is the first mention of any similar dates tied to the fork offer.

The initial email has not been clear that employees who resign will surely be placed on administrative leave. Subsequently frequently asked questions posted on the OPM website And the agencies shared ask: “Do I expect to work on my government work during the resignation period?” The answer provided is simply “No.”

Even the notes sent with the sample contractual agreements summarize the delayed resignation offer as allowing the employees who are eligible to “keep their pay and benefits to the government by September 30, 2025 without being expected to work.”

Acknowledgment that agencies have no guaranteed funding in March

In a major deviation from the language shared earlier, the sample contract contract, which came out on Monday, to the Environmental Protection Agency employees, includes a language that appears to admit that federal agencies have no guaranteed funding in March 14, when the last one expires Congress budget agreement.

“In compliance with the availability of budget loans, the employee remains on paid administrative leave and including on September 30, 2025 or such an early date at which the employee may choose to resign or otherwise separate from the federal service.” , says in the sample contract language.

The lawyers, the federal unions of employees, members of the Congress and others have warned federal officials that the promise of pay and benefits after March 14 has not been guaranteed.

“It is important to know that the Federal Government is currently only funded until March 14, 2025,” writes Senator Washington Patty Murray, the best democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, in an email. “There is a no The financing allocated to agencies to pay employees for this offer. ”

Additional warnings added to the deal

Another warning added to the sample contractual agreements addresses the question of whether the employees who accept the resignation may take another job before September 30.

Frequently asked questions from OPM tells employees: “Absolutely! We encourage you to find a job in the private sector as soon as you want to do it. The path to the bigger American prosperity is to encourage people to go from a more performance work in the public sector to higher performance performance in the private sector.

The new language is clear that employees must comply with the rules of ethics, which some agencies require prior approval for external employment.

In another section, employees have been asked to give up their right to “pursue through any judicial, administrative or other process, any action against [AGENCY] This is based on, arising from or related to the employee’s work at [AGENCY] Or the delayed resignation offer ” – and in a similar way to refuse any request that may be made on their behalf by a union or other entity.

General Attorneys warn of “misleading” offer

On Monday, Democrats’ general lawyers from a dozen countries, including New York, Michigan, Arizona and California, issued a statement called a resignation for resignation “misleading”.

“The so -called President Trump’s purchase offers are nothing more than the last attack on federal workers and the services they provide. These alleged offers are not guaranteed,” New York General James said in a statement. “Federal officials must be cautious and follow the leadership of their unions in order to defend their rights.”

On Monday, the Trump administration withdrawn against some of the criticism, arguing that Union leaders and their lawyers are making their members of the service.

“This is a rare, generous opportunity – the one that was completely checked and deliberately designed to support employees by restructuring,” said McLurin Pinifer, a spokesman for OPM. “Instead of spreading misinformation and using workers as political pawns, they must make sure that federal employees have the facts and freedom to make the best decision for themselves and their families.”

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