As Tom Petty famously said, "You can stand me up at the gates of hell, I won't back down."
This morning, like every other federal employee, I received another email reminding me that time is almost up. The so-called "Fork in the Road" buyout offer—a forced choice that feels anything but voluntary—expires tonight.
This isn’t just another bureaucratic reshuffling. It’s an existential crisis for public service.
For more than a decade, I have proudly served as a federal employee, working across multiple administrations, and several agencies. I've advocated for healthcare with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), promoted innovation at the USPTO, and today I fight for the American worker at the U.S. Department of Labor. Now, that career—like those of thousands of my colleagues—hangs in the balance, not because of performance or budget constraints, but due to a politically motivated purge of the federal workforce.
And I’m not alone.
“If you have to send us 10 emails saying this is totally not a scam… then it’s probably a scam,” David Casserly told POLITICO.
Federal employees across agencies have voiced our concerns: we do not trust this offer.
There is no legal certainty that severance will be paid past March 14, when current government funding expires. Meanwhile, those who refuse the buyout face an implicit threat of future layoffs. Messaging from U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has been inconsistent, shifting policies and timelines in ways that appear designed to create confusion.
The irony? The very people being targeted for removal are the backbone of government efficiency.
Career civil servants do not take these jobs for money or prestige. We do this work because we believe in it. We are committed to upholding the rule of law, ensuring that government services run smoothly, and protecting the most vulnerable members of our society. We are the employees processing Social Security claims, enforcing labor laws, and ensuring accessibility in federal programs. Yet, we are now treated as obstacles to be removed.
So, what happens tomorrow?
For those of us refusing the buyout, we brace for retaliation. The Department of Government Efficiency met with Labor Department leadership yesterday, and the message was clear: this is only the beginning. We do not know if access to federal systems will be revoked overnight. We do not know if mass terminations are imminent. What we do know is that this administration is determined to eliminate career public servants, and it is not being subtle about it.
But we are still here. And we are not backing down.
If you are a federal worker—or if you know one—check in, reach out, and offer support. No matter what happens after midnight, we must stand together.
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