Wed Feb 19 01:40:00 UTC 2025: **Former Federal Employee Fired After Accepting Deferred Resignation Program**

CHAMPAIGN, IL – A decorated Army veteran and former USDA employee is speaking out after being abruptly terminated from his position just days after accepting a government-offered deferred resignation program. A.J. Ruggieri, a Major in the Illinois Army National Guard, claims he was unfairly dismissed from his role as state public affairs specialist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on Valentine’s Day.

Ruggieri, a self-described conservative Republican, returned to the U.S. in October after a two-and-a-half-year deployment in Africa. He accepted the NRCS position in December, believing it offered the stability he sought after his military service. However, in late January, all federal employees received an email outlining a “deferred-resignation program,” offering continued pay and benefits until September 30th, 2025, in exchange for a resignation. The program excluded certain federal employees, including military personnel, but Ruggieri, still in his probationary period, understood that he was included. He accepted the offer on February 6th.

To his shock, instead of instructions on the transition process, Ruggieri received a termination email on February 14th, stating that his continued employment was “not in the public interest.” He claims this was a pretext, citing his strong performance reviews and lack of consultation with his supervisor. The termination left him without health insurance, access to vital government systems, and facing immediate financial difficulties while his wife battled a severe illness.

Ruggieri alleges the government used the deferred resignation program as a means to circumvent standard termination procedures, leaving employees without recourse to challenge their dismissal. He questions whether this constitutes a fair and just system, leaving him wondering if “America is great again.” The USDA has yet to comment publicly on the matter. The incident has sparked concern among other federal employees about the fairness and transparency of the deferred resignation program.

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