RADIOJanuary 30, 2025

Will DOGE’s “Fork in the Road” Strategy Save the Government BILLIONS?

Elon Musk’s DOGE has gotten to work. Glenn and Stu discuss the “fork in the road” email that some US federal workers recently received, which is very similar to the memo that Elon sent Twitter employees after he bought it. The email offers employees a choice: either resign now and get paid until September, or probably get fired at some point. So, will this save the government billions of dollars a year?

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Okay. Where should we begin, Stu? Should we start with the golden parachutes?

STU: Ah. Yes, the email.

GLENN: Yeah.

STU: I mean, this is DOGE entering the chat. Right? DOGE has turned -- I don't know if it's a fully powered battle station yet, but it's definitely powering up.

GLENN: Yeah. I mean, it's -- I think we're not far away from a million voices crying out and then suddenly being silenced.

STU: Right. It's kind of one of those things.

This is straight out of the Twitter playbook from Elon Musk.

GLENN: Oh, my.

It starts the same way.

In fact, do we have the fork in the road tweet.

Okay. Let me show you, the fork in the road is -- is an art piece, that Elon Musk, I guess financed in the -- looks like it's in the middle of nowhere.

STU: I didn't know --

GLENN: A giant fork sticking out of it.

STU: I had no idea this part of it.

GLENN: This is real.

STU: I know the phrase. He put a fork this a road.

GLENN: He put a giant. He had a road built, where it goes off. And there's a gigantic fork sitting in the middle of it.

STU: Hmm.

GLENN: So this is the thing with him.

STU: Kind of the fork in the fork.

GLENN: Right.

STU: Because the road forks by itself when it turns into the Y, but it's a fork in the fork.

You don't have to believe that, Stations.
I'm just saying that. It feels close to it, but you don't have to.

GLENN: Yeah. You use the F-word a lot.

STU: I do.

GLENN: So when he went to Twitter, he put a fork in the road memo out that said, hey. You might want to get out now.

Because it's going to be a different place here, so I'm giving you the opportunity to bail right now.

Just let me know. And he said, at the very beginning, it's a fork in the road. They have issued a memo that is almost exactly like it, except it's got a bunch of subsections. You know, 1CB.

STU: A little more legalistic.

GLENN: A little more legalistic.

But Trump is offering the people, the money to not be hit with a giant fork.

STU: Yeah. It's -- it's sort of two approaches.

One is anybody who wants to leave right now, will pay you to September.

So we'll give you --

GLENN: That's very generous.

STU: A nice eight, nine month ramp to get a gig.

If you don't work here. Please go. Of course, this combines with the hiring freeze. The idea is five, ten, 25 percent of people accept this deal, and you shrink the government employment.

And then you don't rehire those people.

This is the way you cut. This is the way he did it at Twitter. And then secondarily, it's sort of a carrot and stick approach. The carrot is, hey, we'll pay you to September for no work. It's great for you.

And then the stick is, by the way, if you stick around, we'll probably fire you anyway.

That's kind of what the tone of it is. Like, look, I'm sorry. If you stick around, we will really be cutting. So it might be you.

GLENN: This is what it actually says: During the first week of his administration, President Trump issued a number of directives concerning the federal workforce. Among those directives, the president required that employees return to in-person work.

Do you know what that number is?

How many federal employees actually show up for work, since the beginning of COVID-19?

STU: You know, I don't know the number. What is it?

GLENN: Take a guess.

STU: We're now many, many years past COVID-19, Glenn.

GLENN: Yeah. What is the number of federal workers that are actually showing up for work?

STU: I really -- I have to guess, it's very low.

But if I were just to guess, without any preknowledge, I would have to say, it's like 60. Right?

I don't know. 40 percent of people not showing up seems significant.

GLENN: The number of people not showing up to work is 94 percent.

Only 6 percent of federal workers are showing up.

STU: What? With the knowledge that it was going to be a low number, I'm shocked by that. 6 percent.

GLENN: Six. Six. It is 6 percent.

STU: No way. Is there certain categories? You go to the Pentagon right now, 94 percent empty?

That can't be true.

GLENN: I don't know about the Pentagon.

STU: Okay. Certain areas of the government.

GLENN: Well, I do know this also, that the mayor of Washington, DC, said all of our businesses are dying. And said this to Biden. You have got to get people to go back to those buildings. Or let those buildings loose.

And let's bring other businesses into Washington, DC.

STU: Because we're holding them empty, essentially.

GLENN: We're holding them empty, so there's no business on the street. Because nobody is coming in.

So restaurants are going out. Shops that aren't for tourists, are all going out.

STU: Now, complete economic destruction happened to Washington, DC, would you be able to tell the difference, I guess is the question.

We were just there.

GLENN: No. I think if there was a raging wildfire, I'm not sure I could tell the difference.

Among those directives, the president required employees to return to work in person. Restored accountability for employees, who have policy-making authority.

Let me hang on. I think I hear the knives sharpening here. Restored accountability for senior career executives, and reformed the federal hiring process to focus on merit.

As a result of the above orders, the reform of the federal workforce will be significant. Want out?

STU: Yeah, take your out now.

And like, just a couple of things.

GLENN: I would.

STU: It's interesting. He sent it to everyone.

Basically said, none of you are essential. Any one of you can be replaced. Which is a message you send.

Important message.

You're not too important, essentially. I know you've worked here for a few decades. You're a career employee and all that. It doesn't mean anything anymore.

That's one message it sends. If you put yourself in a position of, you're someone on the left. Who got into government. Because you have left-leaning ideas.

GLENN: Why else would you get into government?

STU: That's true.

GLENN: I can't think of a reason on the right, why they get into government, except to stop the people on the left.

STU: To stop it. And that is a real problem we have. Because it's the same thing with universities.

GLENN: Yeah, it is.

STU: We don't go in there. We don't mix it up in those areas, and then they take them over.

GLENN: Yes.

STU: But let's say, you're someone who leans left. You get in there, you think, you support all these big taxes and big government programs. And you're working on administrating them. And you realize, Trump is coming in. He will try to cut them anyway.

Do I really want to be here, supporting -- like cutting people, and not distributing this money I think is so important? Maybe I do just take it.

Just because I'm opposed, and I don't want to go through this agenda. I don't want to be responsible for these evil cuts.

So maybe I just take the money and leave.

GLENN: I think if you're a career politician or career, you know, government worker, if you've put in your time and they're going to give you, you know, really good exit package.

I don't know if you're -- if you've been there for 25 years. Do I get -- do I get my pension?

STU: Yeah. You probably do.

GLENN: So, you know, I would definitely look at it.

If I had been there for a long time. I would be like, I'm getting out now.

Because you just don't know.

You know, Vivek Ramaswamy said, we should just say, everybody with an odd Social Security number. And ends in an odd number, you're fired.

STU: What helps him here.

Because there are dumb protections built into some of these places for civil service types.

That makes it sometimes difficult to fire them.

And this is like sort of like the self-deportation option when it comes to the border.

GLENN: It is.

STU: You go. You take it. It's optional for you.

And if they do that, you not only will likely get rid of more people that will thwart your efforts. Because they typically will be able to take that deal. But you also get a portion of your cuts done, without having to make the cuts.

There are some legal questions to this.

Of course, it will get challenged. There is a clause, I think it's in the Homeland Security Act.

That allows the government to offer employees $25,000 to resign, essentially if they want to make cuts.

So that much of it is pretty much straightforward protected.

The -- when you say all the way to September, some of those numbers will go above $25,000.

And there, they might get legal challenges.

GLENN: That's amazing -- that people will challenge you.

STU: You're giving me too much money. You're giving me too much --

GLENN: That will never happen.

STU: In reality, of course, the left does not want these employees to go away.

They don't want the size of government to shrink, so they will find any legal loophole they can to challenge what he's doing.

GLENN: It will be fascinating to see the conversations of people right now in Washington, DC. That are those die-hards.

I mean, because he's doing exactly what he's doing on the border, for the government.

He's -- he is --

STU: It's the --

GLENN: We're coming for the bad guys.

And we will cut.

There is in more fooling around. There's a new sheriff in town.

He hopes, just like on the border. He will get the bad guys. But a lot of people, just like you said, will self-deport.

I don't want any part of it.

STU: Yeah. I don't want any part of it.

Not to mention, in nine months of pay. Combine that if you happen to be an entrepreneur type. Of leaving a job. Getting paid for nine months. Then getting paid for another job.

It could be great for your finances.

GLENN: If you had another job. If you knew you could get another job, you would be stupid not to.

STU: Yeah. To get paid 9 months for doing nothing.

Of course, it's taking it out of our pockets, which I'm not exactly thrilled about. But long-term, it's great!

GLENN: Yeah, if he gets enough people. It's like 100 -- 150, or $150 million a year is what they're expecting to get out of this. That's a lot of savings.

STU: Hmm. Hmm.

I mean, it's a drop in the bucket, unfortunately.

GLENN: No, I know it is. I know it is.

STU: $150 a year is a pretty small acceptance.

GLENN: A million or billion.

As I said that, you don't pay attention. Million, billion. It doesn't matter anymore.

STU: Just wait until the quadrillions hit. Then you'll know. Then you'll know.

GLENN: And million will seem like.

You know, it's like -- it used to be like, they're a millionaire. And then it became, they're worth like 100 million dollars. And then it became, they're a billionaire.

It's going to be soon. They're a trillionaire.

STU: You knew we would cross that line, when Bernie Sanders needed to take millionaires out of his speeches. Because he used to say millionaires and billionaires.

Now he says billionaires because he's a millionaire.

And it's like hilarious that Mr. Socialist, with his multiple houses, can't even criticize millionaires anymore.

GLENN: Right!

Because he's most likely a millionaire.

STU: He is, 100 percent.

GLENN: I mean, how does a socialist get that?

STU: I mean, he's making a decent six figure salary and has been forever. He has multiple houses.

Just the equity in those homes, I'm sure, makes him a millionaire.

You know, I mean, he's pretty -- he wants to spend everyone else's money. If he spends like that in his own life.

He doesn't seem to be all that -- he doesn't seem to take advantage with fancy cars or anything like that, that we know of.

But he has a couple nice houses. He saves on hair products, that's for sure.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

EU Elites’ Shocking Plot to Sabotage Trump Exposed!

Are European Union elites working to “sabotage” President Trump’s plans for the West? Glenn speaks with Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts, who makes the case that Trump is trying to reset the West and stop the “managed decline” of the World Economic Forum’s Great Reset. But many European leaders are so embedded into that old system that they won’t go down without a fight. Glenn and Kevin also discuss Trump’s negotiations with Mexico and Canada, whether former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss was right to call Britain a “failed state,” and why Kevin believes Trump’s cabinet, JD Vance, and one other thing are Trump’s biggest wins.

Tim Kennedy Unveils Grim Truth: World Instability and Christian Killings Surge

Former U.S. Army Special Forces Sniper Tim Kennedy joins Glenn to warn that “real instability” is coming across many parts of the world, including the Middle East, Haiti, Congo, and other parts of Africa. And one of the main signs of this is “the killing of Christians” at high levels in those regions. With a civil war brewing in Afghanistan, “genocide” level attacks in regions of Africa, and more trouble on the horizon, predictive models have found that things could very likely boil over soon. But Kennedy details how the Trump administration, especially Tulsi Gabbard, Kash Patel, and Pam Bondi, are working overtime to “get ahead of what we know is coming” and keep Americans safe.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: We're talking to Tim Kennedy. Talking to the president about the border, and what's going on with the border this week. And I said, you know, if I were, you know, a Mexican citizen. And knowing that my government was in bed with the cartels. I would be hoping that some special forces just showed up in the middle of the night. And started killing people. In these cartels. And I said, well, that would be news breaking if I said that was a good idea.

You know, I hope it doesn't come to that. It was clear, that that is on the table. I mean, that really has to happen. Does it not?

I mean, that is a collapsed narco state in Mexico. Isn't it?

MATT: Yeah, we -- the rules of war that we'll be experiencing for the next five to ten years are not the traditional maneuver warfare that people remember from Korea and from Vietnam, and from even -- you know, we know who our enemy is. These are going to be businesses.

These are syndicated criminal organizations, that do not fight fair, and the cartel owns both the businesses, the corporations, and the criminal networks that are involved in that.

So, yes. It's absolutely on the table. And a group of people that are sitting on like the go button, are absolute savages, Mr. Beck.

GLENN: They are. I know some of them. I know some of them.

And they're just like -- and they're just -- they're just champing at the bit to go, I know. I know.

TIM: That's the truth.

We're in conversation with the cartels right now. And the cartels are saying, hey, we don't want to die. We don't want to be wiped off the face of the planet, which we know is not going to happen. So, you know, are there other options. Hey, what if we stopped human trafficking?

What if we stopped fentanyl production entirely?

What if -- what if all of that just goes away. What if we stop and seal the border on the south side. What are you -- will we maybe be allowed to transport some cocaine and some marijuana?

I'm totally fine with this. If we stop fentanyl. Human trafficking. Gun smuggling. And we stop the invasion of our border, I'll -- and we don't have to do a while bunch of killing.

You know, whatever.

But they know they're on the brink of --

GLENN: I hope they do.

TIM: Of existence.

GLENN: I hope they do.

You know, when you look at what's happening here.

And what they're bringing over here.

I mean, it has to stop, dead in its tracks.

It has to stop.

And it has to stop soon. The president is dealing with these courts. Which I just think is judicial insurrection as Mike Lee puts it. And it has to stop.

The president has to protect our borders, and has to protect our cities. This is -- you know, this is the opium wars, done to China by the English.

You know, 200 years ago. 150 years ago. And now they're doing it to us.

That's what -- that's what is happening.

TIM: Yeah.

GLENN: Tell me about the Christians and genocide, that you believe is on the horizon.

TIM: Just yesterday.

Back at the White House yesterday.

Listening to some brief about -- there's some brilliant companies that are able to do predictive modeling.

Using literally every public and classified source of information.

And there's these events that are pretty predictable.

You know, they predicted what would happen in Afghanistan. Predicted what would happen in Ukraine.

They see regionally that on the very near horizon, as soon as like late summer.

We are going to see real instability throughout CENTCOM and the Endo-Pacific region.
And some of those things -- some of the catalysts that are -- the data points are what are the killing of Christians.

And it's happening all over CENTCOM.

And --

GLENN: Explain CENTCOM. Explain CENTCOM for anybody who doesn't what CENTCOM means. Explain that.

TIM: Just imagine the Middle East starting kind of in north Africa.

And western Asia. And everything that has lots of deserts. And lots of Muslim countries -- just -- by coincidence, there's also Israel. That's in CENTCOM.

One of the few non-Muslim democracies, in that whole entire region.

Ask, you know, the Houthis and Hamas. And Hezbollah.

And then in former countries, like in Syria and Iraq, Afghanistan, those places, it's just a massacre of Christians, right now.

GLENN: So let me take a one-minute break.

Come back, because I want to talk to you more about that. Because you've been involved. We've been with you with Mercury One, and trying to help. And I know what we're gearing up for.

And I want to see if there's anything that you need and you would recommend, besides told prayers for Christians.

And I want to go deeper into what this predictive model is showing in just a second.

First, let me tell you about Preborn.

You know, if you were in the room with a woman who was thinking about giving up her baby.

What would you say?

If a scared young woman looked you in the eye and said, I don't think I could do this.

I'm alone. I don't know if it's really a baby yet.

What would you do?

Would you yell at her? Would you say, you can't do that! You'll go to hell.

Or would you tell her, you're strong enough. You are. Show her pictures of your kids maybe. Talk about miracles?

Talk about God? Talk about anything?

Anything. We're here for you. Would you just wait.

None of us would show her pictures of an aborted baby. None of us would yell at her.

Okay? The truth is, we'll never be in that room. Most of us. But Preborn will not be in that room. They don't argue or shame.

They do something really simple. It turns out, it's very persuasive. Just offer her a free ultrasound. And when she hears that tiny heartbeat. When she sees the image on the screen, everything changes. More than half the time the mom chooses life, the rest of the time, she's like, I -- I just -- I'm alone. I can't afford.

And that's where they come in, after that. They take care of mom. This saves two lives. This saves the life of torture for that woman, and the baby's life.

Please, donate your best gift today.

Go to #250. Say the key word baby for Preborn. It's #250. Key word baby. You know, just a few bucks pays for an ultrasound, and it just changes lives. Saves lives. Preborn.com/Beck. Sponsored by he Preborn. Preborn.com/Beck. Ten-second station ID.
(music)

GLENN: So, Tim, maybe we'll have you on -- we're doing a big benefit for the Nazarene Fund.

This fall.

I don't even have details on it. I just heard about it yesterday.

What that is, we go and rescue Christians. Or we pay and help people like you, go rescue Christians.

We just empower people like you, to help.

I would love to invite to that. When we get closer, I will.

Tell me about this predictive model. Why is it saying that it's going to get so bad? What's coming our way?

TIM: Yeah.

The Nazarene Fund, and Mercury One, just for -- love you guys.

I don't -- you know, we publicly can't say a lot of the things that we do at save our allies.

But none of it is possible without you, quite frankly.

Like if you look at me, and our team in Afghanistan. Or in Ukraine. Providing humanitarian aid. And pulling people out of the war zones.

Although to the Far East, as far as I possibly can get in far Russia.

Every place that we have been, has been because of you, quite frankly. Mr. Beck.

GLENN: Please. Stop calling me Mr. Beck.

Give credit. This audience is so gracious. They are so gracious.

TIM: Yeah. They just have an understanding.

Samaritan purse. Mercury One. Nazarene Fund.

We see you guys every single place, in the worst, most dire condition. So, you know, Glenn, thank you so much.

To your question, you know, we are -- if you just look in the past month, you know, you can look to Syria. You can look to the -- next to our bill.

You can look to the Congo.

Where you see thousands of Christians being killed.

You see Muslim converts, that were being specifically targeted. Down in Congo just last week.
Another 29 Christians were killed. In 2025, in like the region in Syria. There was like this region of violence. Another thousand were killed.

And so if you take -- if we're going to look for similar areas in the region, and try to predict the instability of a particular administration or government.

There's a whole bunch of -- and we can take historical data from the past 50 years. And start looking at, okay.

Economically, what is happening for instability?

What is happening culturally?

What is happening on -- in the markets?

What's happening in like -- really clear data points. And we have this bell curve of what's normal. And then you have these outliers that are -- that then keep occurring, every time there's a coup. Or every time there's genocide.

Or every time -- and there's enough data now, where we -- especially with AI. And we can scrape all of history.

We can then very accurately start, you know -- all the special operations side. I'm trying to find somebody in space and time.

It's -- that's -- used to be a difficult thing, to predict where a human is going to be.

So I could maybe bring them to justice, and if we look at the first 95 days of the president in office, and our intelligence community specifically, that told them they're going to work. With, you know, Kash Patel, enabling them. Pam Bondi.
45 Americans that have been illegally detained abroad brought home.

You know, we're knocking on the door of 100 radical terrorists, want to do harm to Americans. Dead.

And we are trying to get ahead of what we know is coming. Which is, complete near Civil War in Afghanistan.

Trying to get stability in Congo -- obviously, we see what's happening in Haiti.

And every time one of these places starts becoming less secure and stable, that is the breeding ground for radical adversarial groups, that are funded by our adversaries, like and mine Iran.

To then conduct attacks on Americans.

But they're not doing it direct.

It's like via proxy.

But Haiti, if we don't pay attention to it, China will use it.

Congo will --

GLENN: Yeah, I know.

TIM: And it just keeps happening.

GLENN: Tim, I can't thank you enough for what you do. You're really a remarkable man. It was such an honor to see you at the White House.

And as usual, see you at the White House and you're serving. Serving veterans.

So thank you for everything, Tim.

God bless you.

TIM: Yeah, you're amazing. Always in your corner. Let me know what you need.

GLENN: You've got it. Thank you, Tim Kennedy. US Army Special Forces. He's a sniper. Former UFC fighter, and really a servant to our vets.

Next year, it's going to be a tough year. All the way around us the world.

It's going to be very tough. What he's saying, is coming.

I -- you know, people say, I think Donald Trump will say for a reason, to save the republic. I'm not sure, that we understand God's mind.

It may have just been to postpone and give us more time to prepare. I'm not sure.

I hope we save the republic. But it might be time to prepare. Because things are very, very dicey in the world, and we just need to be prayerful.

Thoughtful. Jesus-like people.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

Will Violent Activists Go to Jail? DOJ’s Harmeet Dhillon UNLEASHED | The Glenn Beck Podcast | Ep 255

Is there really a “bloodbath” in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice? Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights at the DOJ, joins Glenn to discuss firebombing at Christian churches, “violence” against free speech, and the fate of the innocent people persecuted under the Biden administration. Harmeet reveals how the FACE Act doesn’t just protect abortion centers but pro-life pregnancy centers as well, says it’s time for violent activists to be prosecuted, and explains why “you don’t have to sue everybody.” Then, she and Glenn break down anti-Semitism on college campuses, her focus on the Second Amendment, and her advice to Congress to prevent a repeat of COVID-19 government tyranny.