JOHN DAY — America’s more than 2 million federal workers — including more than 1,200 in Northeastern Oregon — are facing a choice of two career paths: resign or adhere to an updated set of standards.

The ultimatum came on Jan. 28 in an email from the Office of Personnel Management, the executive branch agency that manages the civil service.

Under the header “A Fork in the Road,” the email said any federal workers who wished to resign have until Thursday, Feb. 6, to do so and would receive full pay and benefits and an exemption from in-person work until Sept. 30. 

For those who don’t accept the buyout offer, the email talks about creating a reformed federal workforce built around four pillars, including a return to in-person work, updated performance standards and a reduction in force at many agencies and departments.

The fourth pillar refers to enhanced standards of conduct, including a requirement that federal employees be “reliable, loyal (and) trustworthy.” 

The email goes on to state that federal workers “who engage in unlawful behavior and other misconduct will be prioritized for appropriate investigation and discipline, including termination.”

Oregon’s two Democratic U.S. senators questioned the legality and the wisdom of the email.

“This is blatantly unconstitutional and idiotic in equal measure, even by Donald Trump’s debased standards of public service,” Ron Wyden said.

Jeff Merkley called into question the Trump administration’s ability to propose such a deal.

“President Trump does not have the authority to offer this deal and no authority to guarantee it,” he said. “If folks accept it, they could be left high and dry.”

Republican Cliff Bentz, who represents Eastern Oregon in the U.S. House of Representatives, did not respond to requests for comment. Bentz is the only Republican on Oregon’s congressional delegation.

Employees who wish to take the buyout offer were instructed to type “resign” into the subject line of a response using their .gov or .mil email accounts.

Those who decide to stay were given no guarantees that their jobs would remain safe.

“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 protections in place for such positions,” the email read.

The National Treasury Employees Union is urging its members to hold fast, describing the email as an intimidation tactic.

“Make no mistake: this email is designed to entice or scare you into resigning from the federal government,” the union said in a prepared statement. 

“We strongly urge you to not resign in response to this email.”

A U.S. Forest Service union representative who requested anonymity for fear of retribution said union members had varied reactions to the letter, but everyone wants more information.

The union rep said the email looked extremely unofficial and he did know of employees who decided to take the buyout offer. 

“I know for a fact people replied ‘resign,'” he said. “None of this is legal.”

The rep also urged recipients of the email not to resign. 

Who sent the email?

The precise source of the email is the subject of speculation.

The message was sent en masse from the Office of Personnel Management’s human resources email address, but it bears striking similarities to an email sent by Elon Musk — head of the Trump administration’s newly created Department of Governmental Efficiency — after his takeover of the social media site formerly known as Twitter in 2022.

Musk’s message to the staff of Twitter, which he renamed X, laid out expectations for higher performance levels and gave employees the option to quit with three months’ severance pay if they felt they couldn’t adhere to the new standard.

The title “A Fork in the Road” is the same in both emails.

Interpreting the message

The Office of Personnel Management posted responses to frequently asked questions regarding the email on its website Jan. 30. But a number of points remain unclear, including who or what employees are expected to be loyal to, how “suitability” will be evaluated and which employees will be prioritized for investigation.

Wyden sees the email as a power play by Trump.

“Browbeating federal employees working for their communities in Oregon and nationwide into pledging loyalty to one man smacks loudly of dictatorship,” Wyden said. “This blanket edict devastates the federal workforce’s ability in Eastern Oregon to help fight fires, support agriculture, provide disaster relief and more by making employees so frightened of retribution that they don’t provide answers based in science and their professional judgment for Oregonians needing answers from federal offices.”

Merkley stressed the proposal has no legal basis and would result in less money for Oregon communities, diminished services from federal agencies and an erosion of the nonpartisan nature of civil service.

“Our government runs on a system of professional, non-partisan and merit-based civil service — not on a system of loyalists who are more committed to doing the president’s bidding and sowing distrust in vital government functions than they are committed to helping working families,” Merkley said.

The Forest Service union representative commented on the dizzying pace of executive orders coming out of the Oval Office. 

“No one thought it was going to get this crazy this fast,” the union rep said. 

The Trump administration has estimated that 5%-10% of federal workers will take the buyout offer. 

Statewide: 28,800

NE Oregon: 1,230

Baker County: 190

Grant County: 200

Morrow County: 50

Umatilla County: 500

Union County: 200

Wallowa County: 90