Federal workers who took Trump's buyout are getting final paychecks and an uncertain future

[In It to Win It]

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — Stephani Cherkaoui has a pot of Moroccan tea on the kitchen stove in her townhome, half an hour outside Washington, D.C. Her kids' artwork — her "favorite collection" — adorns the walls. Her cat, Dublin, settles himself on a kitchen chair.

Over the past five months, Cherkaoui has had time to sit in this space and reflect on her decision to walk away from her government career. She's one of more than 150,000 federal workers who took the Trump administration's "Fork in the Road" buyout offer, resigning with pay and benefits through at least Sept. 30.

She agreed to share her thoughts and opinions with NPR, emphasizing that she does not speak for the government.

Cherkaoui's last day at work was April 18. Since then, she has been getting her paychecks on schedule. Her family has remained on her government health insurance. For the first time in her life, she says, she has been able to just live.

"It's goodness that's coming from a very terribly depressing place," she says. "I'm able to just breathe. It's a new kind of feeling that I've never experienced before. But there's definitely a lot of fear."

https://www.npr.org/2025/09/30/nx-s1-5545715/federal-employees-fork-deferred-resignation-trump