The Weekend After January 28th
Living in Maryland just miles from the D.C. border, many of my friends and neighbors work for the federal government or a company that supports and/or is affected by the federal government.
My job before I left Corporate America to work on Wardrobe Oxygen full-time was at a company that relied on government contracts. I worked there for nine years; eight were 100% funded by government agencies. My job prior to that one was with an company closer to Baltimore than D.C. yet over 50% of the work I performed was on government contracts. Even when I worked in retail, personal styling, and a construction firm, my job was affected by or paid for by the federal government or its employees.
The Weekend After January 28
On January 28th, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) emailed federal employees, requiring them to stop teleworking and return to the office. You can read the email at this link to the OPM site. This includes folks who were hired PrePan specifically as teleworkers, never having an office in the first place. I have friends who live 2+ hours from the nearest office for their agency and now have to go to the office daily without even having a desk.
White House officials have repeatedly stated only 6% of federal employees work onsite. This “fact” is based on an April 2024 survey done by Federal News Network, where only 6,338 responses were gathered. Of the survey respondents, about 30% said they work entirely remotely, 6% work entirely in-person, and 64% work on a hybrid schedule — a mix of in-person and telework.
Federal News Network confirms the study they performed was a “non-scientific survey of respondents who self-reported that they are current federal employees, and who were self-selected.” (Source)
Per the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the federal government employs about 2¼ million civilian personnel. (Source) An August 2024 study from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reports that of the 2.28 million civilians working for the federal government, 54% work fully on-site. Those with permission to telework spend about 61% of their time in the office. (Source)
This January 28th email from OPM also offered a deferred resignation offer. Again, you can read the email at this OPM site link. If one resigns by February 6th, federal employees “will retain all pay and benefits regardless of [their] daily workload and will be exempted from all applicable in-person work requirements until September 30, 2025.”
An OPM spokesperson confirmed that the expectation was that if federal employees replied to the email with the word “Resign,” they would be put on paid administrative leave. (Source) The OPM site still states that lump-sum payments of up to $25,000 are permitted for voluntary separation. (Source) House Republicans are considering increasing that cap to $40,000 (Source), but if not… $25K, or a bit over $3K/month, won't equal the salary of many skilled and specialized federal employees, and there isn't any plan to handle that.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), federal employees comprise around 1.87% of the civilian workforce. (Source) And that number does not include those whose jobs rely on government contracts. When the government downsizes or shuts down, private sector businesses follow suit. These actions will majorly impact the country's economy, affecting all of us, even if we don't live a stone's throw from the Nation's Capital.
Weekend Reads
The emptiness of Ivanka Trump's green Dior suit. (Wearable Art)
How to make the next 4 years vaguely tolerable. (Yes & Yes)
The internet is forever. But also, it isn’t. What happens to our culture when websites start to vanish at random? (The Verge; makes me think of over a dozen pieces I've written over the past two decades that no longer exist)
Why Instagram permanently suspended me and how I got my account back. (Diamonds in the Library)
The salty, briny, lemony, garlicky rise of “pick me” foods. (Vox)
What happened to body inclusivity in fashion? (Refinery 29)
From “Girls Gone Wild” to “Your Body, My Choice.” (Slate)
Everyone is horny now. (Dazed)
Karine Jean-Pierre, President Biden’s barrier-breaking Press Secretary, reveals some truths about her job. (Vanity Fair)
Pamela Anderson gets her flowers—from Martha Stewart. (Elle)
Asking and telling. (Flaming Hydra)
Years after the acquisition and bacterial outbreak, Gwen Whiting is back with a new brand. (The Cut)
The antidote to despair. (Jill Filipovik)
Style Inspo
So, this Tuesday was also my 50th birthday. I celebrated earlier this month in Las Vegas. I didn't buy anything new for the trip outside of luggage locks in case I had to check or lost my carry-on tote. So this weekend, I'm sharing what I would have wished I had in my closet for this trip and one I wish I didn't leave at home to save weight:
What I Wish I Owned to Take to Vegas
I brought my Banana Republic brown print Aurelia maxi dress with me and struggled with what bag to take. I used a black STAUD crossbody I've had for a couple of years, but it's a weird strap length. It worked, and it got the job done with other outfits I wore to Las Vegas, but it wasn't my favorite option.
Along with that, I usually wear this dress dressed up with heeled sandals or dressed down with Birkenstocks, and I didn't love my walking-friendly closed-toe shoe options.
I ended up taking my shelltops and these silver flats I got last winter that make me look like a genie but are great the day after a night of bad shoe decisions and a travel-friendly weight. The shelltops won for breakfast at Sadelle's.
I wish I brought a black patent pair of flat booties that felt a bit Scandinavian, a bit retro, a bit menswear. I'd put in some supportive insoles and could have worn them instead of the booties I brought that didn't fit insoles and needed a night off. I wonder how these from Aquatalia would look IRL, and these La Canadiennes intrigue me. My bank account is happy neither comes in wide width.
I also wish I brought darker sneakers. First step in Nevada, I jacked up my shelltops on the red pebbles around the Welcome to Las Vegas sign. Also, I felt they glowed in the casinos and felt kinda try-hard. I really like these in the malbec color, and when looking at Adidas for a cheaper alternative, I saw these and then wished I had them (they do look comfy!).
What I Owned and Wished I Brought to Vegas
The one thing I own and wish I had taken was this silver fringy bag from Maje. I kept it in its original packaging until late December because it felt like such a frivolous purchase. I mean, I already have two silver purses: my mirror STAUD Moon and a paperbag style Topshop I've had for years.
It's a silly bag. Delicate silver crackle leather with a little chain strap and a longer chain strap. It's small; it can't hold my phone and a lip product and eyedrops and my little charger all at the same time. And I have perfectly good others that would do. But it just delights the hell out of my high school self.
Instead, I used this sparkly bag from LOFT (gift from the brand) that I had already planned to wear with this outfit. It was also cute (you can see it in this Instagram Reel) but having that fringy Maje would have been fun.
Hear/See/Read
Last weekend, I asked for recommendations for light reads and I thank those who offered suggestions. I'll keep them in mind but I went in a totally different direction and chose Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler, which is the complete opposite of a fluff read, but I am LOVING it.
Parable of the Sower is a 1993 dystopian novel about a young woman named Lauren living in 2020s America. I don't want to share more because I went in with little more than these facts, and in the book, a presidential candidate is running on a platform to “make America great again.”
I have no idea why I didn't read it sooner, but I find the audiobook so beautifully read, and the writing is powerful and also accessible. In 11th grade, my I.B. English teacher assigned us The Handmaid's Tale, which transformed me. Parable of the Sower is another book I feel older teens and adults could and should read. Do know this is the first in a series of two books, and the author recommended reading them in order.
FYI, the Libby waitlist was months long for me, but when I went to find it on Audible this week, I found I could download and listen to it for free. I didn't remember ever purchasing it and shared with my sister. Yesterday/Friday, my sister checked her Audible account, and she, too, could download and listen to Parable of the Sower for free.
For Your Entertainment
This 2005 Mountain Goats video was fed to me by the YouTube algorithm, and it's a pretty fitting song for the end of January: “This Year.” “This Year” can also be found on Spotify and other music services.
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Thank you for your take on what’s going on in D.C., Alison. Since the inauguration, I’ve felt as if I’m trapped in a manic loop of alternating ordinary despair and soul-crushing irreversible despair. Your post today is a reminder that there’re concrete things that can be done, in both the long and the short term, to survive the chaos. All of you smart women who’ve shared your knowledge and experience in the replies are also a reminder, as Joyce Vance says, that we’re all in this together.
Long time reader, first comment. Thank you for this. My husband is a senior official at one of the agencies that has been targeted for firings and unqualified appointees. He has been working more than multiple jobs for years because his immediate support was not hired until recently (and is now in danger of being fired because they are new hires). His staff is terrified. It is hard to be vilified by the White House when you work long hours and have devoted your career to the public sector to benefit citizens who need the services provided. Years ago President Reagan vowed to cut administration with no reduction in services. Within a year services like Social Security disability had a two year backlog and people still wait to apply due to a lack of personnel. Public sector employees are nonpolitical. well trained and essential to the federal government working well.
I work for the federal government, but in the federal court system, which has not been targeted—yet. But we got the early OPM email asking us to respond if we got it, and it was so strange we all thought it was spam. Like, OPM doesn’t send us stuff like that—it comes through the administrative office of the courts. IT told us it was not spam but that if we hadn’t responded, we did not need to (aka we shouldn’t). So it’s a tense time across the board, and then of course way beyond the board. I feel fortunate that I’m close to retirement, and if I have to walk away from my job, or my job is taken from me, it won’t be the end of the world.
On the somewhat less serious topic of size inclusivity, I bristled a bit when the author said that casting calls are going out more to size 6-8or 10-12 models than 18, 20, or 22. I still see way more models in the 18, 20, and 22 range that I ever see in a size 8 to 14. And most of these models still have the classic hourglass figure. I think it’s all just a token gesture, and now, with the weight loss drugs, women have even less “excuses.”
I still get emails from my WA State Senator Patty Murray (we moved to MD in June 2024). She is the lead Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee. I think she does a great job of making her opinion politely but clearly:
“First, there is no guarantee workers who accept this offer will get paid through September 30 as promised. Not only is there no funding for that time frame right now, but I personally am deeply skeptical of any offer from a President like Donald Trump who has so consistently shown he will try to stiff workers if it furthers his personal goals and ambitions. ”
As well as “Additionally, the information being provided includes a lot of caveats. It claims you can rescind your resignation if you change your mind—but that your job may no longer exist. It claims that you aren’t expected to work if you accept the offer—expect in rare cases determined by each individual agency. It claims that you can stay in your current role—but there’s no guarantee your position will be needed. ”
If you have a Federal employee somewhere in your life, they are undergoing a tremendous amount of stress. I hope we can rally around them and provide comfort and appreciation when they most need it.
I am personally so exhausted already by the constant barrage of hate, mindless and stupid EOs, and the faces of Those Men. I’m not going to let that stop me from defending our country.
The title of this post — The Weekend After January 28th, 2024 — made me wonder what happened a year ago. LOL. Probably something else really bad.
Totally haven’t broken the 2024 habit! Thanks for letting me know, I updated
Your mention of GGW reminded me of the podcast episode that I listened to this week: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-sixteenth-minute-of-fame-172216473/episode/girls-gone-wild-2024-a-hawk-260492299/ The guest worked in GGW production. The show is a bonus for an explainer of the Hawk Tuah Girl.
Many folks don’t know that Federal funding flows to local agencies across the country for critical transportation projects (highways, bridges, dams, etc.). These funds not only pay the salaries of local agency employees who work on the projects, but the salaries of consultants who may design and manage the projects, construction workers who build them, people who supply materials. Loss of funding will affect them directly. The public who use highways will be affected by the loss of projects that wouldn’t even be able to be contemplated, projects stalled in development, and projects under construction that would be abandoned. Local agencies would struggle to keep abandoned projects safe with no funding. The process to get federal transportation funding approved is rigorous and there is simply no other way for local agencies to fund such large scale projects that improve our transportation system and our communities as well as make large infrastructure safe for the traveling public. This impacts every single one of us. It’s no joke. I urge everyone to become educated and informed about the far reaching repercussions of such sweeping cuts.
The best point I’ve seen made – by multiple sources – about the Fork in the Road email is this: the government is only funded thru 3/14. So if you take the offer, there is no guarantee you’ll be paid after that.
Lawfare provided a detailed analysis of it. Pretty much everything in the offer is unsupported at best, but mostly inconsistent with current laws and regulations.
Personally, I found the FAQ on a 2nd job hilarious. I went thru sequestration furlough. No, you can’t just get any old 2nd job. There are restrictions.
My neighbor/friend got this letter. We live in Indianapolis; her home office is in Maryland. When she told me about it on Friday, I commented that the letter reeks of Elon Musk—the proposition, the “resign with an email” bullshit, the “trust us, we’ll pay you” lie. Chaos.
Yep, it’s just like what he did at Twitter