The major change is that it now says you MAY be allowed to go on paid leave until September, not that you WILL.

No service chief is going to let a bunch of their staff go on eternal leave during a nationwide hiring freeze and general work panic. None. This is now a trap with no bait.

So, to recap:
White House: *orders freeze on all federal grants*
Federal judge: "No."
White House: "Ok sorry"

Reminds me of when Trump tried to sue a journalist for defamation for quoting him in an article.

They only offered a week for federal employees to consider the buyout before cutting it off. If the deal was actually legitimate and they knew it would stand up to scrutiny, they wouldn't be forcing people to make decisions faster than they can consult with an attorney. Just food for thought.

It's also worth remembering that union agreements carry force of law, and AFGE has to buy off on anything impacting your work conditions, including the recent buyout offer and all the telework rescinding. That's a 30 day minimum review period just for them to read it.

What starts as a conversation rooted in confusion, despair, or simple bewilderment rapidly evolves into statements of defiance, reassurance, community, and perseverance. If you're a federal employee and not already following something like r/fednews or organizing locally, I recommend doing so.

The barrage of texts, reddit posts, and discussion has proven vital for keeping me sane and also helping to contextualize a lot of the especially stupid things coming out of our hijacked OPM office. The end result I've seen across the board is federal employees feeling more equipped to fight back.

Every new, bewildering email we receive is met with a flurry of discussion, debating its legality, seriousness, or intention, long before we hear anything clarifying from leadership. This is no fault of our local leadership; they've openly admitted they don't know anything more than we do right now.