On Tuesday night, January 28 — eight nights into Donald Trump's second presidency — around 2 million federal workers received a controversial e-mail from the U.S Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

There’s also a deep suspicion, especially among people who think they may be on the chopping block, that this is the last lifeboat in town,” said an employee.

The late-night announcement was an email, sent to some two million federal workers. Subject line: Fork in the Road. In it, federal employees were advised they could take part in a "deferred resignation program",