Federal employees received an email from the government’s personnel office urging them to find “higher productivity” jobs in the private sector and answering what they called top questions about the Trump administration’s sweeping effort to eliminate government jobs.

“Fork in the Road FAQs” was the subject line of the email the Office of Personnel Management sent to federal workers Thursday night. It came about 24 hours after the deadly plane crash near Reagan National Airport, as employees of some federal agencies and departments respond to the tragedy.

“Q: Am I allowed to get a second job during the deferred resignation period?” the message says.

“A: Absolutely! We encourage you to find a job in the private sector as soon as you would like to do so. The way to greater American prosperity is encouraging people to move from lower productivity jobs in the public sector to higher productivity jobs in the private sector,” the email continues.

OPM’s message also lists answers to questions on work expectations, pay and benefits, and vacation time. These same answers were in a longer FAQ document published on OPM’s website earlier this week.

The Trump administration told about 2 million federal employees on Tuesday they can opt to resign by next week and get paid through September. Federal workers were told they may indicate they’ll leave their jobs by typing six letters and hitting Send: “Resign.”

Here are answers to some big questions about the “deferred resignation” emails that may change government services and federal employees’ lives.

What’s the deferred resignation offer?

With the subject line “Fork in the Road,” the email from OPM on Tuesday said federal employees can agree to leave their jobs and receive about eight months of salary, but they have to choose to do so by Feb. 6. That gives them a total of 10 days to decide.

The email advised all federal employees of “enhanced standards of suitability and conduct” and warned of future downsizing.

OPM listed four directives it said Trump is mandating for the federal workforce going forward — including that most workers return to their offices full-time.

“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,” it reads. That echoes Trump, who said of federal employees over the weekend: “You have to go to your office and work. Otherwise you’re not going to have a job.”

The memo also said Trump “will insist on excellence at every level,” and while some parts of the government’s workforce may increase under his administration, “The majority of federal agencies are likely to be downsized.”

Finally, it said, 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,” the memo said. Go here to read the email in full.

President Donald Trump offered buyouts to roughly 2 million government employees. News4’s Jackie Bensen reports.

How could government services be affected?

The Trump administration says the plan is designed to improve how federal workers serve Americans.

“American taxpayers pay for the salaries of federal government employees, and therefore deserve employees working on their behalf who actually show up to work in our wonderful federal buildings, also paid for by taxpayers,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “If they don’t want to work in the office and contribute to making America great again, then they are free to choose a different line of work.”

AFGE, the largest union representing civilian, non-USPS federal employees, said Americans will see government services suffer.

“The number of civil servants hasn’t meaningfully changed since 1970, but there are more Americans than ever who rely on government services,” the group said in a statement. “Purging the federal government of dedicated career federal employees will have vast, unintended consequences that will cause chaos for the Americans who depend on a functioning federal government.”

The union added: “Between the flurry of anti-worker executive orders and policies, it is clear that the Trump administration’s goal is to turn the federal government into a toxic environment where workers cannot stay even if they want to.”

Even a fraction of the workforce choosing to resign could send shockwaves through the economy and trigger widespread disruptions throughout society, triggering wide-ranging — and as yet unknowable — implications for the delivery, timeliness and effectiveness of federal services across the nation.

Untold numbers of front-line health workers in the Veterans Affairs Department, officials who process loans for homebuyers or small businesses, and contractors who help procure the next generation of military weaponry could all head for the exits at once. It could also mean losing experienced food inspectors and scientists who test the water supply — while disrupting everything from air travel and consumer product protections.

Pardoning more than 1,500 people did not end a review of Jan. 6 prosecutions. The News4 I-Team’s Ted Oberg reports the interim U.S. attorney for D.C. is starting a “special project” to investigate how hundreds of J6 defendants were charged with obstruction of an official proceeding.

Is this a buyout?

D.C. labor attorney Daniel Rosenthal said he saw red flags in what OPM sent.

“What was actually in the email was not a buyout or a severance payment but basically just an offer that if employees agree to resign by September 30 of this year or earlier, they would be relieved from any return-to-work obligations,” he said.

He said it’s hard to know if the offer is legal because nothing like it has ever been done.

“A lot of the promises being made in these different documents are unclear. They may be difficult or impossible to actually enforce,” Rosenthal said.

An employee buyout is when an employer offers some workers a voluntary severance package, the personal finance news site Investopedia explains. Generally, the employee is given the option to leave the company voluntarily in exchange for pay or a benefits package.

Buyouts are often offered before a company downsizes. Workers given the option may choose to leave because their job may go away later, and their severance offer at that later date may be less generous.

AFGE, the union, said the Trump administration is essentially forcing workers out.

“This offer should not be viewed as voluntary,” their statement said.

Will employees who do a deferred resignation still work?

Employees who accept a deferred resignation “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,” the email said.

The first question in OPM’s FAQ asks whether workers are expected to work during the “deferred resignation period.” The reply there is: “No. Except in rare cases determined by your agency, you are not expected to work.”

As the White House pushes for federal workers to return to the office or call it quits, officials have repeatedly said only 6% of federal workers are in the office full-time. The figure caught the attention of the News4 I-Team, which has been digging into the numbers. News4’s Ted Oberg lays out what we found.

What percentage of the federal workforce is expected to resign?

It’s unclear and NBC is working to learn more. A senior administration official told NBC News they expect 5%-10% of the federal workforce to quit, which, they estimate, could lead to about $100 billion in savings.

Who’s eligible for a deferred resignation?

All full-time federal employees are eligible, except for members of the military, employees of the U.S. Postal Service, positions related to immigration enforcement and national security, and other jobs excluded by agencies.

When’s the deadline for a deferred resignation and how do you take it?

Federal workers have 10 days to decide whether to resign under the plan. The program runs from Jan. 28 to Feb. 6.

OPM’s email said: “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.’”

AFGE urged workers to use caution before resigning.

“AFGE is encouraging our members not to make a hasty decision, to get additional detail, consult with their personal advisors, and to fully consider the ramifications of mass resignations on the services they provide to the American people,” they said in a statement.

D.C.’s mayor publicly denounced the pardons of Jan. 6 Capitol riot defendants Monday. News4’s Mark Segraves reports.

Can federal workers who choose deferred resignation accept another job before their resignation date?

OPM’s FAQ says: “Nothing in the resignation letter prevents you from seeking outside work during the deferred resignation period. You should ask your agency’s human resources team about what restrictions, if any, exist for employees who have resigned but remain employed (including on administrative leave) by their employing agency.”

Go here to see OPM’s FAQ.

The email’s subject line was ‘Fork in the Road.’ Where else has the phrase been used?

Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who is now in charge of Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency, famously sent a similar email to employees shortly after he took over Twitter, which he renamed X, asking them to opt in to keep working at the company.

“This is a tactic that Elon Musk did when he was at Twitter. When he took over Twitter, he sent out a mass email, and he basically said, I want to get rid of everyone I think is dead weight,” Kel McClanahan, executive director of National Security Counselors said.