Why I Replied “Resign”

I am a federal employee who chose to participate in the Deferred Resignation Program offered by OPM.

There are many misconceptions about why someone would want to take part in this program and what has actually been promised.

First of all, this is not technically a buyout. The government hasn’t promised to buy us out of anything, nor are we being offered a lump sum payment of eight months’ pay. What has been promised is that if we agree to resign or cease our employment effective September 30th, we will be exempt from reduction-in-force and return-to-work policies. Most of us will be placed on paid administrative leave for the majority of this period, receiving our regular pay and benefits until our resignation date.

Second, I understand that this may sound too good to be true. It is, in fact, unprecedented, which raises legal scrutiny. The law generally does not favor actions that break precedent, regardless of their legality.

Third, the administration has requested a list of all probationary employees. A probationary employee is one who is within their first one or two years of service, depending on their status as a career or excepted service employee. This is significant because probationary employees in the federal government are essentially at-will employees, meaning they can be dismissed at any time during this period. I am one of those employees.

Fourth, the Trump administration has consistently made its intention to downsize the federal government clear. This includes various strategies, from reducing leases on government buildings to cutting wasteful spending on programs, and naturally, reducing the federal workforce.

So, yes, I decided to take the risk and accept the deferred resignation program offer. From my perspective, either way, I will be out of a job sometime this year. I would rather receive eight months of pay and benefits than wait to be told I have 60 days left because of a reduction-in-force (RIF).

However, there are other reasons besides my belief that my job is likely coming to an end.

I never intended to retire from civil service or have it as my career. To be honest, I never intended to work for the federal government at all. When I retired from the military just over three years ago, one of my biggest fears was ending up as a GS employee. I particularly did not want to work for the Department of Defense.

You might wonder why. Honestly, I received that question a lot before my retirement. Many people thought I was making a mistake. I often heard comments like, “Why wouldn’t you want a cushy GS-11 job on base?" or “You could collect a second retirement doing a fraction of the work you had to do in uniform! You must be crazy!"

Let me clarify why I didn’t want to work for the Department of Defense. When I retired from the military, I was 38 years old, which I consider still quite young. After twenty years in uniform, I did not want to spend the next twenty doing the same job, just in civilian clothes. My views on the DOD soured significantly due to my experiences with incompetent leadership and inadequate practices that often exposed issues related to misguided diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

My experience with civilian employees in the DOD did not leave me with a positive impression of that workforce. It seemed that easily 90% of the civilians I worked with were either incompetent, lazy, corrupt, racist, sexist, or some combination of these traits. I had no desire to associate with a workforce that, for the most part, seemed to contribute more problems to the DOD than the corrupt officers often placed “in charge." I emphasize “in charge" because anyone who has served in the military knows that the real influence often lies not with those in uniform, but with the entrenched civilians who resist change and persist in outdated processes, regardless of their efficacy.

So, how did I end up as a GS federal employee? Unfortunately, circumstances led me here.

After retirement, my husband and I became small business owners, and I became a syndicated political commentator. Then disaster struck—my parents claimed they needed to move in with us. What followed was quite a challenge. After deciding against living with us or accepting our help, they left behind a mortgage and debt. Our small business closed, and I had to find a job that could adequately cover our mortgage and help pay off our debts. That is how I found myself working for the federal government.

We had planned to stay in this job only until we could sell our house, pay off our debts, and save enough to move to Las Vegas, where we had always dreamed of retiring and pursuing our aspirations as artists and writers. We have sold our house, eliminated our debts, and are close to reaching our savings goal to make the move to Las Vegas. We are still on track to relocate there soon.

Then the election happened, and a flurry of Executive Orders and memoranda from OPM came flooding in.

Don’t get me wrong; I voted for Trump and agree with 90% of his actions, including reducing the size of the federal government. However, I’m not thrilled about the possibility of being RIF’d (reduction in force), as it would change our timeline for moving to Las Vegas. We'd have to buy out our lease, which would cost around $12,000. We have saved up that amount and could manage if we had to, but when the deferred resignation program became available, it offered us a way to avoid that expense. It allows us to continue saving as planned, move when we want, and pursue our real dreams.

While I did vote for Trump, I wish his Press Secretary and the right-wing media would adjust their rhetoric regarding this program. I've heard it suggested that the Trump administration encourages federal workers in DC to take this offer if they don’t want to come into work, implying that they will no longer be allowed to “rip off” the American taxpayer.

I want to make it clear: I am not ripping off the American taxpayer, nor are many federal employees. Yes, some individuals may be lazy and milking the system, but not all of us fit that description. It’s insulting to lump everyone taking this offer into that category. I consider myself a valuable asset to any organization. I work hard, I'm smart, I'm innovative, and I am an honest employee. I don’t cheat or take advantage of the system.

Furthermore, federal employees do not only work in DC; they are present in all 50 states and territories. So, it’s not just DC employees who will likely consider this offer. It undermines credibility when someone stands before cameras and microphones and makes sweeping generalizations like that.

The bottom line is that people are human, including federal employees. We all have unique circumstances that have led us to our jobs and influenced our decisions about whether to accept this offer. We are not traitors, and most of us are not cheating anyone. The majority of us are hard workers simply trying to live our lives as best we can.

The program may be canceled due to a lawsuit from the unions. If that happens, I’ll be disappointed, but regardless of what unfolds, we will be fine. Ultimately, we will end up in Las Vegas, likely sooner than planned if I do get RIF’d. If I don’t, we’ll still reach our dream destination because that is our goal. Beau aspires to be a galleried artist, and I aim to be a published author and eventually run for office in Nevada.

We are people just like you, with dreams of our own, and we seize opportunities when they arise, just like you do.