White House expecting 'spike' in federal resignations as at least 20K take buyouts

The White House is expecting a "spike" in federal resignations ahead of a deadline for a buyout offer coming to end on Thursday, Fox News Digital has learned. 

Nearly all federal employees were offered a buyout as part of President Donald Trump’s plan for government employees to physically work out of their offices, following years of remote work amid and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Government employees have until Thursday to take the offer, with the Trump administration expecting an influx of resignations in the next two days. 

"The number of deferred resignations is rapidly growing, and we’re expecting the largest spike 24 to 48 hours before the deadline," a White House official told Fox News Digital on Tuesday morning. 

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFERS BUYOUTS TO FEDERAL EMPLOYEES, INCLUDING REMOTE WORKERS: 'DEFERRED RESIGNATION'

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he arrives with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance (L) and first lady Melania Trump (R) during an indoor inauguration parade at Capital One Arena on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Axios reported earlier Tuesday roughly 20,000 federal employees have taken the offer, accounting for about 1% of the federal government's workforce. The White House official told Fox News Digital following the report's publication that the 20,000 figure "isn’t current." 

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The White House is photographed from Lafayette Park on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Washington.  (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

The Office of Personnel Management, which operates as the federal government's human resources department, notified roughly 2 million federal employees Jan. 28 that they would be required to work out of their respective offices five days a week, or they could leave their roles through the equivalent of a buyout offer. 

Those who choose to take the offer will retain all pay and benefits and be exempt from in-person work until Sep. 30. 

"We think a very substantial number of people will not show up to work, and, therefore, our government will get smaller and more efficient," Trump told reporters of the plan in late January. "And that's what we've been looking to do for many, many decades." 

The buyouts do not apply to positions such as military personnel, the U.S. Postal Services, or positions related to immigration enforcement or national security. 

The White House previously has said it anticipated 5% to 10% of the federal workforce to resign. 

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The buyout deadline comes as the Department of Government Efficiency, which is led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, has taken a hatchet to various government agencies and departments, as the team works to cut overspending and alleged corruption within the highest echelons of the U.S. government. 

The buyout deadline comes as the Department of Government Efficiency, led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, pictured here with President Donald Trump, has taken a hatchet to various government agencies and departments.  (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)

The United States Agency for International Development is the latest agency to land under DOGE's microscope. Hundreds of USAID employees reported they were locked out of the agency’s computer system, while its headquarters in Washington, D.C., was closed on Monday. 

On X, Musk has railed against the organization as rife with "marxists" and is operating as a "criminal organization." 

"USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die," Musk posted to X on Sunday. 

"USAID was a viper’s nest of radical-left marxists who hate America," he said in another message.