Trump Admin Plans Federal Worker Buyouts Before Office Return

Sources confirmed that the Trump administration will offer all 2 million federal workers a buyout if they don’t plan to return in person to work later this year.

Four sources confirmed the emails will be sent out to federal employees beginning Tuesday night informing them that they can keep their benefits and receive payments through September as long as they resign by February 6.

All full-time federal workers are eligible for buyouts, except military personnel and U.S. Postal Service employees, and those in positions related to immigration enforcement or national security are excluded.

The buyout offer caused concern among unions and some Democratic legislators who warned against accepting it.

Two sources confirmed that the emails were expected to be sent by the Office of Personnel Management.

One email with the subject “fork in the road” noted that Trump’s “reformed federal workforce” included “returning to the office” as one of the four pillars.

Elon Musk, whom President Trump has tapped as a leader in efforts to reduce the federal workforce, posted on X in October that he commissioned a sculpture also titled “A Fork in The Road”. He used this subject line in 2022 to encourage employees at Twitter to either leave or commit to “extremely toughcore” behavior.

The email sent to federal employees on Tuesday instructed them to reply with the word “resignation” if they wished to leave.

The email stated that even though returning to office work would not guarantee employment, it was a reference to Trump’s efforts to reduce the workforce.

The email stated, “If you decide to stay in your current role, we thank you for your renewed commitment to serving the American people.” It added, “At the moment, we are unable to give you full assurance about the certainty of your job.”

It says that employees who choose not to remain in their current position in the federal workforce will be given an “honorable, dignified departure”.

A memo from OPM to agency leaders suggests that they can exclude certain employees from the deal. The memo states that the offer is open to all employees, except for “positions that are specifically excluded by the agency you work for.”

The Association of Federal Government Employees stated that the move is intended to shrink the federal workforce, which has essentially been flat for the past 50 years.

The number of civil servants in the federal government has not changed significantly since 1970. However, more Americans are relying on government services than ever before. The removal of career federal employees from the federal government will have unintended, massive consequences for Americans who depend upon a federal government that functions,” said President Everett Kelley in a press release.

This offer is not voluntary. The Trump administration has set out to make the federal government a toxic workplace where workers will not be able to stay, even if they wanted to.

The email sent earlier suggested that the notices would be delivered to employees of each agency individually, but “starting tonight.”

According to a document that explains the process, many employees who choose to resign are placed on administrative leave.

According to the document, individuals who choose to resign receive a confirmation via email within 48 hours. The document states that employees are not required to respond and that any resignation is voluntary.

The document says that those who opt to accept the buyout can choose to leave their jobs sooner than the end of September. The buyout is not available after February 6, but there may be exceptions for those on leave before that date.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., noted that there is no guarantee federal employees will receive funding if they resign.

Don’t be fooled! Trump promised to pay contractors but then cheated them. He is not authorized to make a promise of severance. “Wait him out!” he wrote to X.

Axios reported, in the first report on the buyout, that the White House expected 5 to 10 percent of federal workers to accept the offer. This would be hundreds of thousands of employees.

During the coronavirus outbreak, federal employees were often required to work remotely. Trump and his supporters have been trying to bring workers back into the office.

The majority of federal workers are not allowed to work from home.

OMB’s prior report, which has been removed from the White House website, found that 54 percent of federal employees work in jobs that require them to be on-site. This includes Pentagon employees and those who work at Veterans Affairs Medical Centers.

More than 60% of those allowed to telework spent their working time at the office.

On his first day as president, Trump signed a memo directing the departments and agencies of the executive branch “to take all necessary steps to terminate remote working arrangements and to require employees to work full-time in their respective duty station. However, the heads of the departments and agencies may make any necessary exemptions.”

Since taking office, Trump has tried to transform the federal workforce through other means. Trump has fired over a dozen inspectors in different agencies. His Justice Department removed prosecutors from the former Jack Smith team. He also signed an executive order that gave him more authority over federal workers.