In his bid for a second term in the White House, Donald Trump campaigned in part on a promise to shrink the federal workforce and make it more efficient. But there’s a difference between ferreting out waste and corruption and purging the ranks of anyone who might disagree with the man at the top.

On Jan. 28, the Office of Personnel Management, the executive branch agency that manages the U.S. civil service, sent out an email to all 2.2 million federal employees titled “A Fork in the Road.”

Most news coverage of the OPM memo has focused on the sweeping buyout offer it contained. Any federal worker who resigned by Feb. 6, the memo said, would continue to receive full pay and benefits through the end of September — an eight-month severance package.

Numerous critics of the proposal have questioned the legality of the offer, and several lawsuits have been filed to block it.

But what has been largely overlooked is the stick the memo holds over the heads of anyone who doesn’t reach for the juicy carrot of a generous buyout offer.

The OPM email cites four “pillars” of a reformed federal workforce. The first three consist of a return to in-person work, higher job-performance standards and a more streamlined and flexible government workforce.

All three are laudable goals. But the fourth pillar cited in the memo should raise serious concerns for every American.

Under the heading “enhanced standards of conduct,” the memo states federal employees who want to keep their jobs should be “reliable, loyal and trustworthy.”

Loyal to whom, one wonders.

Then comes the threat. “Employees who engage in unlawful behavior or other misconduct,” the memo states, “will be prioritized for appropriate investigation and discipline, including termination.”

The language is intentionally nonspecific, and yet the message is chillingly clear: resign or fall in line.

America’s civil service is supposed to be nonpartisan. Federal employees swear an oath to be loyal to the U.S. Constitution, not to whoever happens to be president at the time.

On the campaign trail, candidate Trump vowed to take revenge on his perceived political enemies. In his first weeks in office he has shown his willingness to do exactly that. After pardoning some 1,500 people for crimes committed during the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress was certifying his electoral loss to Joe Biden, President Trump has forced out Justice Department prosecutors and FBI agents who led the Jan. 6 investigation and asked for a list of all agents involved in the case.

Shrinking the bloated federal bureaucracy is a good idea. Launching a political purge of the nation’s civil servants and demanding their personal loyalty undermines the foundations of our democracy.

As the OPM memo suggests, our country stands at a fork in the road. Which path will we follow?