2025 U.S. federal deferred resignation program

The deferred resignation program (DRP) was an offer given to employees of the U.S. federal government near the start of the second Trump administration. The program started with a memo titled "Fork in the Road" sent on January 28, 2025, by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to all employees of the U.S. federal civil service. The memo, the first mass message to all roughly two million federal employees, offered the DRP for those unwilling to work under the second presidency of Donald Trump. The memo led to confusion about its authorship and legality, with several federal employee labor unions and political leaders advising employees not to accept the offer. Ultimately, about 6.7% of the federal civilian workforce resigned under the program, with more than 154,000 drawing a full salary for more than 6 months.