SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
don beyer
Judge Temporarily Blocks Musk-Led 'Fork' Offer to Purge Federal Workers
"Proceed with caution," Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley urged federal workers. "Talk to your union reps. Know your rights."
Feb 06, 2025
A U.S. judge in Massachusetts on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's widely decried deferred resignation program intended to help the Republican administration dramatically reduce the federal workforce—a move that came just hours away from a midnight application deadline for workers.
Boston-based District Judge George O'Toole Jr., an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, "did not express an opinion on the legality of the program," according toThe Associated Press. "He scheduled a hearing for Monday at 2:00 pm EST and told the administration to extend the application deadline until after that."
The judge's intervention was prompted by labor unions, including the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), that filed suit on Tuesday, arguing the program is "an arbitrary, unlawful, short-fused ultimatum," and on Wednesday asked O'Toole to pause implementation and extend the deadline.
Despite warnings from unions and congressional Democrats not to trust the Trump administration's deal, multiple journalists reported Thursday at least 50,000 federal workers—or about 2% of the government's 2.3 million workforce—had taken it.
"Deferred resignation is designed to tempt you, but there are major reasons for concern."
The program was unveiled last month in a "Fork in the Road" email that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the government's human resources agency, sent federal workers. It resembles—including the verbatim wording of the subject line—an email that billionaire Elon Musk, chair of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency( DOGE), sent Twitter employees in 2022, when he took over the social media platform.
In the email, OPM told federal workers that "we cannot give you full assurance regarding the certainty of your position or agency," and gave them until Thursday to decide whether to leave their jobs, claiming that "if you resign under this program, you 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, 2025 (or earlier if you choose to accelerate your resignation for any reason)."
A subsequently published OPM webpage answering frequently asked questions claims that workers who take the deal are not expected to work during the deferred resignation period and encourages them to seek private sector employment in that time. It also states that the offer applies to all full-time federal employees except those in the military; U.S. Postal Service; positions related to immigration enforcement, national security, or public safety; and jobs specifically excluded by federal agencies.
Although the Internal Revenue Service does not appear on that list, Federal News Networkreported Wednesday that some IRS employees who accepted the resignation offer "are now being told they must stay on the job through May 15, because the agency has deemed their work 'essential' to this year's tax filing season." Axiosobtained the relevant email sent to IRS workers.
"Not only is this a clear case of bait-and-switch—they were originally told they would be paid to not work through September 30—but it proves that the terms of OPM's so-called offer are unreliable and cannot be trusted," said Doreen Greenwald, president of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), which represents IRS workers, in a statement to the media outlets.
"We do welcome the admission, however, that IRS employees are vital to the agency mission," she added. "By requiring IRS employees to stay on the job longer than promised, the administration is proving what NTEU has been saying all along: IRS employees are essential and without them, the jobs that the American people depend upon will not get done. In the case of the IRS, it's answering taxpayer questions during filing season, processing tax returns, and issuing refunds. But this holds true for frontline federal employees across government who safeguard the public health, promote economic growth, and secure the nation. If their jobs are arbitrarily eliminated, those services are in jeopardy."
NTEU and the AFGE have cautioned members against taking the offer. The latter union is circulating an FAQ sheet for federal workers, which notes that "it is unclear what recourse, if any, employees might have if the government fails to honor the terms of their deferred resignation."
Reutersspoke with multiple federal employees weighing what to do ahead of the deadline:
Employees at the General Services Administration, which manages federal properties, have been bracing for mass layoffs after officials said they plan to slash spending by half.
"It's just chaos, no one is able to do any real work now," said one employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Colleagues were deleting personal documents from their work computers, the person said.
Another worker at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who also asked not to be named, said the mood inside the agency was one of fear and confusion. Staff believe they will likely lose their jobs whether or not they accept the offer, the person said.
An unnamed but defiant Department of Agriculture employee told the news agency: "I am scared about losing my job, but I am not going to give in. They need to push me out."
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), whose congressional district is home to many members of the civilian workforce, wrote in an open letter to them on Thursday: "I am not a lawyer, financial planner, or career adviser, and cannot tell you what to do. But I can offer my empathy and perspective on the choice that faces you. As someone who grew up in a family of civil servants, pursued public service, and represents over 70,000 federal employees, I respect and value your service to the country."
"You can see what Elon Musk and Donald Trump are doing. The hiring freeze, Schedule F, the mass firings, the cancellation of work arrangements and collective bargaining agreements, and the emails and statements insulting you and your work—all are designed to demoralize you, fill your workplace with chaos and fear, and get you to quit," he continued. "Deferred resignation is designed to tempt you, but there are major reasons for concern."
"First, the administration says they can rescind this offer after it is accepted and stop paying you, which would leave you with little or no recourse. Next, the legality of these offers is dubious," Beyer stressed. "Finally, to accept this offer, you must trust that Elon Musk and Donald Trump will keep their word. They both have extensive track records of dishonesty."
"Only you know what is the best choice for you. If you are concerned about your job security and think taking this offer is the lesser evil, there is no shame in that," he concluded. "I will not stop fighting for you and for the federal employees who choose to serve the American people, and there are many others who will have your back. You are not alone, and America needs you more than ever."
Sharing resources for workers on social media Thursday, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) similarly said: "If you're a federal employee who received Trump's 'Fork in the Road' memo, proceed with caution. This is not a man who keeps his word to workers on anything. Talk to your union reps. Know your rights."
Former Twitter workers are also speaking out. After interviewing ex-employees and a lawyer who represents thousands of them who took legal action after Musk bought the platform, CNNreported Wednesday:
Within hours of acquiring Twitter, Musk had fired its top executives; within days, he'd laid off around 3,500 employees, around 50% of the company's total staff. Ultimately, he trimmed 80% of Twitter's workforce, demanded everyone return to the office, and often required employees to work far more than 40 hours a week.
Musk's DOGE, with its goal of cutting potentially trillions of dollars out of the federal budget, is making similar cuts throughout government: the United States Agency for International Development appears to be in the process of shutting down; two sources told CNN the Office of Personnel Management was directed to prepare to eventually cut as much as 70% of its workforce; and the General Services Administration was told to present proposals to cut 50% of business expenses, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation.
The network noted that Yao Yue, former principal software engineer at Twitter, recently wrote on X: "As someone who went through an eerily similar episode of hostile takeover that also played out in public in real time, I want to tell all the fed workers, 'I'm so sorry this is happening to you, I know how this feels.' And here are some of my learnings."
"Take care of each other... Record things, safely," she advised. "Stay calm and carry on. Don't comply without question, don't fold over in advance... You will survive if you band together with your trusted coworkers, family, and friends. You are not alone. Tell us what you need. We will get through this together."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Amid 'Illegal' USAID Takeover, Dems Say There's No 'Fourth Branch of Government Called Elon Musk'
"Just like he didn't create USAID, he's not gonna destroy it," said Rep. Jamie Raskin.
Feb 03, 2025
Several Democratic members of Congress were denied entry to the headquarters of the United States Agency for International Development on Monday, after giving a press conference on the attempted takeover of USAID by President Donald Trump and his adviser, billionaire businessman Elon Musk.
Federal law enforcement officers blocked the delegation, including Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), from entering the offices. Beyer later said the moves were "illegal and corrupt and we will keep fighting it."
The Democrats had just finished speaking about the events of this past weekend, when employees of the Department of Government Efficiency( DOGE), the advisory body Trump appointed Musk to lead, demanded that security officials at USAID hand over confidential files. The officials were placed on administrative leave when they refused, along with dozens of other senior federal workers at the agency.
On Monday, as the Democratic delegation prepared to respond to the Trump administration's actions, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that he was now the acting director of USAID, which assists with disaster recovery, poverty alleviation, and other foreign aid operations.
The Democrats had a simple message at the press conference, where more than 100 demonstrators gathered holding signs reading, "USAID Must Be Saved" and "Today USAID. What's Next?" The agency was created by an act of Congress in 1961, when the Foreign Assistance Act was passed, and only Congress can dismantle it.
"Elon Musk, you didn't create USAID, the U.S. Congress did for the American people," said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) "And just like he didn't create USAID, he's not gonna destroy it."
"Just like the president... cannot impound the money of the people," added Raskin, "we don't have a fourth branch of government called Elon Musk, and that's going to become real clear."
Raskin: "Elon Musk, you may have illegally seized power over the financial payments systems of the Treasury, but you don't control the money of the American people. The US Congress does that under Article 1 of the Constitution ... we don't have a fourth branch of government… pic.twitter.com/aqdY7Q4OQW
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 3, 2025
The members of Congress were refused entry to the agency headquarters after staffers were advised on Monday morning to stay out of the building, where yellow police tape blocked the lobby.
As Common Dreamsreported, Musk said Monday that he had checked with President Donald Trump "a few times" about the future of USAID, and the president allegedly directed him to shut it down.
Raskin condemned "murmurings of support for this outrageous, scandalous, illegal maneuver" that he said he had heard from some Republican colleagues, with supporters saying the administration is simply "evaluating" the agency's work.
"I've heard from multiple constituents working in USAID that they have removed all evaluations from the USAID website," said Raskin. "This has nothing to do with evaluations, this is about termination and obliteration of the major foreign aid programs of the United States of America."
At a separate press briefing, Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) told reporters Monday morning that security guards at USAID had "been given specific orders to prevent employees of USAID from entering the building today."
"I went inside and tried to speak to the acting administrator [Jason] Gray," he said, referring to the official who Rubio has reportedly replaced. "Unfortunately I was not able to meet with him, and I'm going to continue to try... I want to hear straight from him, are these the orders that he gave? ...This is no way to govern, this is no way to treat public servants, and this is no way for us to conduct foreign policy as a country."
Before attempting to enter USAID, Beyer said Musk's takeover of the agency is "a case of the very worst among us attacking the best of us," noting that agency employees work to prevent the spread of infectious disease around the world and in the U.S., among other foreign aid missions.
"What Trump and Musk have done is not only wrong, it is illegal," said Beyer. "Stopping this will require action by the courts and Republicans to show up and show courage and stand up for our country."
"I'm urging my fellow Democrats to use every legislative tool we have at our disposal to slow down and stop this crime from succeeding," he added.
After being blocked from entering USAID, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) toldThe New York Times that the lawmakers were working to secure an injunction to block Musk's order to keep the offices closed.
With Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress, the Democrats' path to fighting Musk and Trump over USAID is likely through the court system. Last week, the Office of Management and Budget's order for all federal grants and loans to be frozen was temporarily blocked by two federal judges.
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), also part of the delegation that went to USAID, emphasized that the takeover was "a bluff."
"They are counting on some sense of inevitability," he said. "It is a harmful killer bluff, but they don't have the law on their side, and so every civil servant, every contractor, every individual who is scared, stand in solidarity with each other."
Keep ReadingShow Less
Progressives Back Harris Plan to Raise Taxes on Billionaires
"Since 1975, over $50 trillion in wealth has been redistributed from the bottom 90% to the top 1%," said one proponent. "That's trillion with a 'T.'"
Aug 22, 2024
Progressive advocates on Thursday threw their support behind a so-called billionaire minimum income tax endorsed by Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, as a way to help tackle the wealth inequality that's worse in the U.S. than just about anywhere else in the Global North.
Left-leaning economists cheered news that Harris is embracing calls to tax the richest people in the country, who enjoy various ways of ensuring they pay lower tax rates than millions of working- and middle-class Americans including many nurses, teachers, and truck drivers.
"It's outrageous that billionaires pay less taxes than public school teachers."
The plan introduced by Harris' campaign this week would increase federal revenue by $5 trillion over a decade by hiking taxes on the wealthiest Americans. It contains tax increases proposed earlier this year in President Joe Biden's budget blueprint, which was welcomed by progressives with the caveats that much more needed to be done to help working-class Americans and that far too much money—nearly $900 billion—is allocated for military spending.
Republicans have falsely accused Harris of seeking to raise taxes on the middle class.
"There's lots of tax proposals in the Biden budget, which Harris has endorsed, so why are Republicans choosing to focus on the obviously false claim that the billionaire minimum income tax applies to the middle class when the name itself refutes that?" University of Wisconsin, Madison economic policy expert Harry Stein
said Thursday on social media.
As The New York Timesreported Thursday:
No one making less than $400,000 a year would see their taxes go up under the plan. Instead, Ms. Harris is seeking to significantly raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans and large corporations. Congress has previously rejected many of these tax ideas, even when Democrats controlled both chambers.
While tax policy is right now a subplot in a turbulent presidential campaign, it will be a primary policy issue in Washington next year. The next president will have to work with Congress to address the tax cuts [then-President] Donald J. Trump signed into law in 2017. Many of those tax cuts expire after 2025, meaning millions of Americans will see their taxes go up if lawmakers don't reach a deal next year.
Harris' plan would raise the top marginal income tax rate from 37% to 39.6%, while also increasing Medicare surtax rates from 3.8% to 5% for Americans making more than $400,000 per year. Meanwhile, gains on investments would be taxed at the same rate as regular income for people making more than $1 million annually.
"The superrich don't make their money the way most people do. Their money comes from owning businesses, property, financial assets, and inheritances," economist Michael Linden
explained in a Wednesday social media post. "These types of income all enjoy special tax advantages, and that's why they end up paying less than middle-income Americans."
On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)
said that "it's outrageous that billionaires pay less taxes than public school teachers. It's time that we make the wealthy pay their fair share. My ultra-millionaire tax would do just that."
In March, Warren and Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.)
introduced an updated version of a 2021 bill that they said would bring in at least $3 trillion over 10 years by imposing a 2% tax on wealth over $50 million. The legislation also includes a 3% tax on the wealthiest households overall, with a 1% annual surtax on the net worth of households and trusts over $1 billion.
Last year, Reps. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) and Don Beyer (D-Va.)
reintroduced the Billionaire Minimum Income Tax Act with the support of scores of House Democrats. The bill—which was drafted in coordination with the White House and U.S. Treasury Department and is backed by dozens of labor and progressive groups—would amend the Internal Revenue Code to factor unrealized gains into a minimum tax on certain wealthy individuals.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) led 15 of his colleagues in introducing an upper chamber version of the legislation.
Meanwhile, Trump, the Republican nominee for president, has promised to extend the tax cuts from his $1.5 trillion plan, which was derided as the "GOP tax scam" when he signed it into law during his first White House term. A 2023 analysis by the progressive advocacy group Americans for Tax Fairness found that the collective fortune of U.S. billionaires skyrocketed by more than $2 trillion in the years after Trump signed the tax cuts into law.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular