Since his first day in office, President Trump has been signing executive orders, memos, and plans to reshape the federal workforce, all aimed at creating a more efficient government. So far, this has meant reducing the number of workers and updating old tech that clogs up processes.
Things are changing quickly, so here’s a regularly updated guide on the most relevant issues for federal employees.
Index: Click to jump down
“Fork in the Road” – Deferred Resignation option Last updated: 2/11/25
Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA) Last updated 2/3/25
Hiring Freeze Last updated: 1/29/25
End of Remote Work Last updated: 2/3/25
Schedule F is Back Last updated: 1/29/25
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Last updated: 1/29/25
End of DEI Initiatives Last updated: 1/29/25
“Fork in the Road” – Deferred Resignation option
On January 28, Trump rolled out a new deal for federal workers – Deferred Resignation. Federal employees received an email from the OPM titled, “Fork in the Road” which detailed an offer to resign now and continue getting paid. We wrote a full blog explaining the offer and its impact on federal employees. Some highlights:
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- Update: Due to the ongoing legal battle, the deadline to accept the offer is extended to an unspecified date, pending judge’s ruling.
- Offered to most federal employees.
- Offers severance pay through September 30th, 2025.
- In some cases, it can be combined with Voluntary Early Retirement (VERA). Learn more about eligibility for this combination here.
- Answers from the OPM to Frequently Asked Questions can be found here.
Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA)
Voluntary Early Retirement allows agencies that are currently reshaping and resizing their workforce to temporarily reduce the retirement age. This comes with some specific rules you can read about in our full blog. Here’s some of the highlights:
- You must be at least 50 with at least 20 years creditable service, or any age with at least 25 years creditable service
- You may be able to combine deferred resignation with VERA. More details can be found on our full blog.
- Offers some benefits, but not as many as other retirement options.
Hiring Freeze
To accompany his other initiatives to reduce the size of the federal workforce, President Trump issued a hiring freeze. This is intended to halt numbers while agencies continue to get reworked in the coming days. This could have some effect on current federal employees, which you can read more about in our full blog. Here’s the essentials:
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- Ends hiring new federal employees in the executive branch until April 20.
- Since the order was signed, various exemptions to the freeze have rolled out, like military, public safety, etc.
- Even though the freeze won’t affect current federal employees directly, it might affect you indirectly. Find out more here.
End of Remote Work
Because of a reportedly very small percentage of federal employees working in office, President Trump decided to end all work from home agreements and enforce working normal hours at the office. In a few cases, exceptions are being made, but otherwise, work is back in office. You can read more about this executive order and options for your future on our blog. Here’s a few things we know:
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- All telework and remote work agreements for the executive branch of the federal government will be cancelled.
- Exemptions to this order continue to come out since it was signed. Some exemptions include military spouses and employees with disabilities.
- To find out what your options are moving forward, click here.
Schedule F is Back
If this one sounds familiar, that’s because it’s a reinstatement of an order from President Trump’s first term. This time it has a new name – “Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce.” You can learn more about it on our full blog, but here’s the short version:
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- An order revived from President Trump’s first term allowing quicker removal for federal employees in policy making/influencing roles who have poor performance
- Intended to create more accountability in these federal roles
- January 31 memo cancels all Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) signed in the 30 days prior to the inauguration which allow continued telework.
- If you’re a federal employee in this category, see here for ways to help protect yourself
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Established
This department is meant to help bring about efficiency by modernizing the technology used by all federal employees. We’ve got a full blog on DOGE and technology with some helpful tips for federal employees who may struggle with the changes. In brief:
- This is a new advisory agency meant to make government offices as efficient as possible
- Primary goals are to modernize old technology and old software systems
- There’s bipartisan support for updating old tech in federal offices
End of DEI Initiatives and Offices
President Trump has condemned former Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives as “discriminatory” and has said ending DEI will return the federal government to serving every person with equal dignity and respect. Here are a few changes already taking place:
- All DEI programs have been stopped in the federal government
- All DEI employees are being put on paid administrative leave
- Agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration are now hiring based on merit and not considering diversity, equity, and inclusion
If you’re already dealing with an illness or injury and considering retirement, there’s no better time to explore your options. Reach out today and let’s talk.