Civilian federal workers who don't want to return to the office, as demanded in an executive order signed by President Trump, can instead choose to take a buyout. The White House's Office of Personnel Management sent government employees an email containing the terms on Tuesday, the Washington Post reports: Accept the deal by Feb. 6 and be paid through Sept. 30. Benefits are included. "If you choose not to continue in your current role in the federal workforce, we thank you for your service to your country and you will be provided with a dignified, fair departure from the federal deferred resignation program," the memo says, per USA Today, which reviewed it.
The move is the biggest one yet to cut the government payroll as President Trump has promised. Not everyone is eligible, a spokesman for the office said. Agency heads can exclude employees. In addition, immigration officers, and employees in certain roles involving national security cannot apply. Nor can Postal Service workers or members of the armed forces. A senior official told NBC News the administration expect 5% to 10% of the federal workforce will quit, which could cut spending by roughly $100 billion. That would amount to hundreds of thousands of people, per Axios.
A statement by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said taxpayers deserve to have government employees show up at their workplace. "If they don't want to work in the office and contribute to making America great again, then they are free to choose a different line of work, and the Trump Administration will provide a very generous payout of 8 months," Leavitt said. The subject line of the employee email NBC saw said, "A fork in the road." When Elon Musk, head of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, took over Twitter, he sent employees an email with a choice, requiring them to opt in if they wanted to stay on the payroll.
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In addition to the workforce as a whole, Trump has gone after individuals since taking office he considers obstacles to enacting his policies, per USA Today, including Justice Department staff members and career employees at the US Agency for International Development. Late Monday night, he removed an NLRB member, leaving the board unable to issue decisions. The email sent to the workforce on Tuesday included a draft resignation letter, per NBC. To accept the buyout, the employee need only reply with the word "resign." (More federal employees stories.)
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