It’s Friday.
President Shitshow’s public schedule for…
| Friday, February 21 2025 |
| 9:00 AM In-Town Pool Call Time In-Town Pool |
| 11:00 AM The President delivers remarks at the Governors Working Session State Dining Room Closed Press |
| 1:00 PM The President and Vice President have lunch Private Dining Room Closed Press |
| 2:30 PM The President participates in a Ceremonial Swearing-In for the Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick Oval Office In-House Pool |
| 3:30 PM The President signs Executive Orders Oval Office Closed Press |
“New” from the White House…
02/20/2025:
- Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz; the YouTube is 49 minutes and 19 seconds long.
In “it’s a sign” News…
This morning, while formatting the article and scrolling through the Owl–Twitter–swinging over to Lies Social, I saw this article.
NEW: A regional FEMA chief of staff took Elon Musk's Fork in the Road offer. He has proof of receipt.
— Sam Stein (@samstein) February 21, 2025
But they didn't honor it. Instead, they fired him 13 days later.
Now, this retired Navy captain is speaking out. https://t.co/e5e7YqeADB
*Background*
On 01/28/2025 the OPM (US Office of Personnel Management) sent an email offering federal workers the ability to resign their post and be paid through September 2025.
During the first week of his administration, President Trump issued a number of directives concerning the federal workforce. Among those directives, the President required that employees return to in-person work, restored accountability for employees who have policy-making authority, restored accountability for senior career executives, and reformed the federal hiring process to focus on merit. As a result of the above orders, the reform of the federal workforce will be significant.
OPM. 01/28/2025.
The reformed federal workforce will be built around four pillars:
| 1) | Return to Office: The substantial majority of federal employees who have been working remotely since Covid will be required to return to their physical offices five days a week. Going forward, we also expect our physical offices to undergo meaningful consolidation and divestitures, potentially resulting in physical office relocations for a number of federal workers. |
| 2) | Performance culture: The federal workforce should be comprised of the best America has to offer. We will insist on excellence at every level — our performance standards will be updated to reward and promote those that exceed expectations and address in a fair and open way those who do not meet the high standards which the taxpayers of this country have a right to demand. |
| 3) | More streamlined and flexible workforce: While a few agencies and even branches of the military are likely to see increases in the size of their workforce, the majority of federal agencies are likely to be downsized through restructurings, realignments, and reductions in force. These actions are likely to include the use of furloughs and the reclassification to at-will status for a substantial number of federal employees. |
| 4) | Enhanced standards of conduct: The federal workforce should be comprised of employees who are reliable, loyal, trustworthy, and who strive for excellence in their daily work. Employees will be subject to enhanced standards of suitability and conduct as we move forward. Employees who engage in unlawful behavior or other misconduct will be prioritized for appropriate investigation and discipline, including termination. |
Each of the pillars outlined above will be pursued in accordance with applicable law, consistent with your agency’s policies, and to the extent permitted under relevant collective-bargaining agreements.
OPM. 01/28/2025.
If you choose to remain in your current position, we thank you for your renewed focus on serving the American people to the best of your abilities and look forward to working together as part of an improved federal workforce. At this time, we cannot give you full assurance regarding the certainty of your position or agency but should your position be eliminated you will be treated with dignity and will be afforded the protections in place for such positions.
If you choose not to continue in your current role in the federal workforce, we thank you for your service to your country and you will be provided with a dignified, fair departure from the federal government utilizing a deferred resignation program. This program began effective January 28 and is now closed. If you resign under this program, you will retain all pay and benefits regardless of your daily workload and will be exempted from all applicable in-person work requirements until September 30, 2025 (or earlier if you choose to accelerate your resignation for any reason). The details of this separation plan can be found below.
Whichever path you choose, we thank you for your service to The United States of America.
*********************************************************************
Upon review of the below deferred resignation letter, if you wish to resign:
| 1) | Select “Reply” to this email. You must reply from your government account. A reply from an account other than your .gov or .mil account will not be accepted. |
| 2) | Type the word “Resign” into the body of this reply email. Hit “Send”. |
*end background*
From The Bulwark article shared by Sam Stein:
Scott Curtis, a retired Navy captain, had served as the chief of staff at FEMA Region 7, which encompasses Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska. Like most other federal workers, he received the infamous “Fork in the Road” email that Musk’s DOGE operation sent out through the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on January 28, offering him the chance to resign from his post while retaining “all pay and benefits regardless of your daily workload” and an exemption from “in-person work requirements” through the end of September. Recipients were given until February 6 to accept the offer.
Despite some skepticism, Curtis concluded that as a 55-year-old, retired military officer with a pension—and experience as an engineer with a specialization in aircraft carrier nuclear power systems—he had future prospects. So on the morning of February 4, two days before the deadline, he replied to the Fork in the Road email in the manner it prescribed, with a single word: “Resign.” The next day he received a terse reply from the hr@opm.gov account acknowledging receipt: “We received your email response. We will reply shortly.” (Curtis provided copies of both emails to The Bulwark.)
But OPM did not reply shortly. In fact, it didn’t reply to Curtis at all, including after the deferred resignation program was temporarily paused by a federal judge and when it was subsequently allowed to resume.
The Bulwark. 02/21/2025.
Curtis told the Bulwark; The part that I think bothers me was it was almost like misinformation, you know, the callousness [with which] this was rolled out. They had four years to think about how to do this. And it really looks like they did it the night before the first email on the back of a napkin. You spend as much time in the military as I did . . . taking care of your people is just fundamental to what you do. And this seemed to be the opposite of that. It was just, you know, ‘Hey, we’re going to just lock you out of the building when you come in to get your coffee mug and, you know, just kick you to the curb.
Stein went on to say:
Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson, offered a statement defending the mass firings in general. “President Trump and his administration are delivering on the American people’s mandate to eliminate wasteful spending and make federal agencies more efficient, which includes removing probationary employees who are not mission critical,” it read.
More direct answers for why Curtis was let go were contained in the termination messages he received from his bosses. A PDF memo signed by Cameron Hamilton, the civil servant who is performing the duties of FEMA administrator while there is no Senate-confirmed administrator, informed Curtis that “based on your performance . . . you have not demonstrated that your further employment at the Agency would be in the public interest.” This formulaic language was used in nearly identical letters firing “probationary” federal employees in many other agencies this week.
The Bulwark. 02/21/2025.
This part will become important; As for Curtis’s request to accept the resignation offer, an email he received from his immediate superior, the acting administrator of FEMA Region 7, stated: “If you elected to participate in the deferred resignation program, a determination was made that probationary employees are not eligible and will be terminated.”
After I read Sam’s informative article, that I do recommend reading and sharing, I found this…
Washington Post: These Feds Took Trump’s ‘Fork’ Deal. Then They Got Firedhttps://t.co/GLbsRXozah
— Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) February 21, 2025
ABC: Federal Workers Took The 'Buyout.' Some Got Fired Anywayhttps://t.co/eqfgxAd3OW pic.twitter.com/JcXSLg7I66
Washington Post (02/20/2025–Gift Link):
In this article we meet Dave Elmstrom probationary employee with the Department of AG., his job was to give green-energy grants to farmers. Elmstrom, realized this program would be one of President Shitshow’s targets, so he decided right away to take the “fork in the road” offer.
Like the other articles have noted the probationary employees are being fired for “poor performance”, Elmstrom was no exception to the rule.
Eight days later, Elmstrom was fired for “performance.” A human resources worker told him probationary employees were no longer eligible for the “fork” offer. Plunged into doubt, he pondered tapping into his savings — until, hours after The Washington Post contacted the Office of Personnel Management on Wednesday to ask about cases like Elmstrom’s, he received an email declaring he was accepted after all.
Washington Post (02/20/2025–Gift Link).
The Washington Post also speak to several employees that weren’t named because those employees also fear they will be relentlessly attacked by this admin, and it’s supporters.
The standing theme in all three of this articles that crossed my feed roughly the same time is this part:
An official with the Office of Personnel Management said that pool of workers, who have fewer job protections than permanent employees, were always eligible for the deal. But The Post documented instances of such firings at several agencies, including the Education Department, the Small Business Administration and the U.S. Forest Service. Officials with at least two agencies, the USDA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told probationary employees they were deemed ineligible for the “fork” offer by the Office of Personnel Management, known as OPM, according to emails obtained by The Post.
Washington Post (02/20/2025–Gift Link).
They go on to say that at no point was it believed that probationary employees would be ineligible for the “fork in the road” offer.
But this part:
But some agencies evidently came to believe probationary workers shouldn’t be allowed to resign early.
When Elmstrom, the USDA worker, received notice he was terminated, he swiftly wrote to the director of human resources to complain.
“The Deferred Resignation Program is an OPM program,” the director replied. “Personnel terminated during their probationary period were deemed recently as not eligible for the program.”
A similar email went out on Feb. 17 to employees at FEMA, according to a message obtained by The Post. “If you elected to participate in the deferred resignation program,” the email stated, “a determination was made that probationary employees are not eligible and will be terminated.”
Amid the confusion, at least one probationary employee has been fired twice, from a post at the Small Business Administration.
Washington Post (02/20/2025–Gift Link).
#ETTD
In Wrap it Up News…
Senate adopts $340 billion budget blueprint for Trump's agenda after marathon 'vote-a-rama'
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) February 21, 2025
52-48 overnight vote with Rand Paul as the only GOP no.
House is eying a conflicting budget.
Story w/ @scottwongDC @frankthorp @kate_santaliz https://t.co/eP0DvAjSP7
S.Con.Res. 7 passed the Senate 52 to 48, Rand Paul from Kentucky joined the D’s in voting no on the CR.
As the article explains, this CR from the Senate is vastly different to the House budget, that President Shitshow has endorsed.
And before we give kudos to Paul…
This is what he said on the floor during the vote; “If we were fiscally conservative, why wouldn’t we take the savings from Elon Musk and DOGE and move it over here and help with the border?” Paul said on the Senate floor before voting began. “Why would we be doing a brand new bill to increase spending by $340 billion?”
Narrator: Cause DOGE isn’t actually saving money, dumbass.
This is an open thread
ABC News (02/20/2025):
Some federal workers have since been contacted by their agencies on their personal email and cell phone, informing them that they still qualify and need to opt-in again by Friday. But they worry that others who were terminated will slip through the cracks, unaware that they can still qualify for the deferred resignation program.
“It’s all very disorganized,” Laura said. “My best piece of advice is definitely reach out to your leadership.”
For Laura, it was only through her own patchwork research that she found out that she might still be eligible for the offer and then called her supervisor, who confirmed.
She’d found a colleague on LinkedIn, Nick Detter, who worked as a natural resource specialist for the Department of Agriculture in Kansas. Detter, also a probationary employee, had taken the deferred resignation program for the same reason as Laura — and, like her, still received a termination notice.
But Detter had refused to turn in his work laptop, hanging on to his email communications until there was more clarity on the deferred resignation program.
Detter told Laura he’d received an email on Tuesday afternoon, days after she’d been terminated and had to turn in her access to work communications, which said that the department “intend[ed] to honor the terms of the [deferred resignation program].”
Detter, who’d spoken to multiple news outlets about his situation, continued to get a flood of messages from colleagues who were in the same position.
One colleague said his supervisor had explicitly told him that probationary employees were never supposed to qualify for the deferred resignation program, so to take the termination letter as final.
But then Detter and his colleagues received another email, nearly a week after their initial terminations, apologizing for the “lack of, or conflicting information” and the “confusion” that being fired may have caused.
ABC News (02/20/2025).
The email they got after almost a week after they were fired…
“This notice serves to clarify that as an employee on probationary or trial period status who may have opted into the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP), you are NOW eligible to participate in DRP,” the email said.
“We apologize for the lack of, or conflicting information, surrounding the DRP and any confusion your termination notice may have caused.”
The email instructed recipients to reply by Feb. 21 with “your continued intention to participate,” and said employees would be reinstated by Feb. 24.
ABC News (02/20/2025).
Laura did not provide her last name to ABC News out of fear of retaliation.
