NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think? What would you want to learn more about?
SUMMARY
More than two million civilian federal workers across the country are facing a deadline. They can either accept an offer from the Trump administration to resign and keep pay and benefits through September, or they can pass on the offer and take a gamble that they may be laid off soon. Lisa Desjardins reports on the latest and discusses the legality of the offer with attorney Michelle Bercovici.
View the transcript of the story.
News alternative: Check out recent segments from the NewsHour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.
Key terms
U.S. Office of Personnel Management — main human resources agency for the federal government, which provides support and oversight for about 2 million federal government employees
"fork in the road" email — on Jan. 28, 2025, the OPM sent federal government employees an email with the subject line “Fork in the Road,” with an offer to resign by Feb. 6, 2025 (extended to Feb. 10, 2025), to include full pay and benefits through Sept. 30, 2025 (the new program is called “deferred resignation")
Read a copy of the email here.
buyout — a payoff by an employee's company for a person to leave their employer voluntarily
WARM-UP QUESTIONS
- Who received the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) "fork in the road" email? Why is the OPM email a source of confusion for federal workers?
- What did the OPM's "fork in the road" email say to federal employees?
- Where do federal employees work?
- Why does the Trump administration want to reduce the size of the federal workforce?
- How are President Donald Trump's efforts unprecedented (never done before), according to this piece?
FOCUS QUESTIONS
- What do you think is the purpose of the OPM email?
- Do you agree or disagree with Trump and Elon Musk's plan to reduce the size of the federal workforce? Explain.
- What are the potential legal issues surrounding the OPM's "deferred resignation" offer, according to Bercovici?
- Why are some federal workers afraid to speak out about their fears regarding the OPM resignation offer?
Media literacy: Do you think it's important for journalists to include both expert opinion and voices of everyday American workers in their stories? Explain.
WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO
Discuss the following with a classmate, friend, neighbor or family member:
A. What are some of the agencies and departments that make up the federal government? What services do they provide?
Do you know anyone either directly or indirectly who works for the federal government? What is their area of expertise?
B. Many federal employees are part of the executive branch of government, the same branch as the White House. A key part of their job is to enforce the law. What laws are important to you that have been passed by the government? Are there laws that you do not think the government should have passed?
C. For a basic explainer of what government does, watch the Homeschool Pop video (6 min) below or this one by Twinkl (4 mins):
Additional resources
- Watch: Deadline for federal workers to resign delayed as Democrats step up fight against Musk
- Daily News Lesson: Trump gives Musk unprecedented access to federal systems
- WATCH: House GOP holds news briefing amid criticism of Elon Musk’s access to federal government
- A dozen states say they’ll sue over DOGE access to government payment systems with personal data (Associated Press)
- Learn more about Elon Musk's role and DOGE: Federal workers worry buyout offer is a trick as deadline looms to accept Elon Musk deal
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