The Trump administration has offered all two million federal employees a buyout if they wish to stay home and refuse to return to work in person this year.
Several sources confirmed to The Hill and Axios that federal employees have been receiving emails informing that they can retain benefits and a paycheck through September of this year if they hand in their resignation by February 6. Per The Hill:
The buyouts are available to all full-time federal employees, excluding military personnel, U.S. Postal Service workers and positions related to immigration enforcement and national security.
The offer sparked concern among employee unions as well as some Democratic lawmakers who cautioned against accepting a buyout.
The emails are expected to come from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), two sources said.
Since Trump’s inauguration, the president’s administration has made a “return to office” in the federal workforce one of its main pillars for the federal government, with one email reviewed by the The Hill calling it a “fork in the road” that federal employees must now navigate. Those who wish to leave were asked to reply to the email with the word “resign.”
“If you choose to remain in your current position, we thank you for your renewed focus on serving the American people,” the email went on to say. “At this time, we cannot give you full assurance regarding the certainty of your position. If you chose not to continue in your current role in the federal workforce, we thank you for your service to your country.”
The email promised that employees who resign will be given a “fair” and “dignified” departure.
One senior administration official told Axios that federal employees needed to be made aware of the new policy, calling the “work from home” order “unacceptable” with the coronavirus pandemic being five years in the past. The administration official said:
The government-wide email being sent today is to make sure that all federal workers are on board with the new administration’s plan to have federal employees in office and adhering to higher standards. We’re five years past COVID and just 6 percent of federal employees work full-time in office. That is unacceptable.
The White House reportedly expects roughly 5 to 10 percent of federal employees to accept the offer, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. It also expects the so-called “buyouts” to save the American taxpayer $100 billion a year.
The Association of Federal Government Employees (AFGE) denounced the buyout, accusing the Trump administration of turning the federal government into a “toxic environment where workers cannot stay even if they want to.”
“The number of civil servants hasn’t meaningfully changed since 1970, but there are more Americans than ever who rely on government services. Purging the federal government of dedicated career federal employees will have vast, unintended consequences that will cause chaos for the Americans who depend on a functioning federal government,” AFGE President Everett Kelley said in a statement.
“This offer should not be viewed as voluntary. Between the flurry of anti-worker executive orders and policies, it is clear that the Trump administration’s goal is to turn the federal government into a toxic environment where workers cannot stay even if they want to,” Kelly added.
Democrat lawmakers have already trashed the deal, with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) arguing that the Trump administration could not guarantee that federal employees will receive benefits through September.
“Trump sows chaos in federal workforce then says ‘resign within a week and I’ll give you 7 months severance.’ Don’t fall for it! Trump told innumerable contractors he’d pay—then stiffed them. He has no authority to promise severance pay. Wait him out!” Kaine wrote on X.
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and can be viewed for FREE on YouTube, Tubi, or Fawesome TV. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
