Over 20,000 federal workers have accepted Donald Trump’s buyout offer, a senior administration official has confirmed.
Axios reports that while the number represents one percent of the federal workforce, it is still way below the White House target of between five and 10 percent.
“We expect more to come,” the administration official explained.
“If you see what’s happening at USAID, it’s just one piece of the puzzle.”
Last month, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management issued a directive to federal employees that if they wished to resign from the government rather than work for the Trump administration, they would be paid through the end of September.
The directive stated:
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.
…
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 government utilizing a deferred resignation program.
This program begins effective January 28 and is available to all federal employees until February 6.
If you resign under this program, you will retain all pay and benefits regardless of your daily workload and will be exempted from all applicable in-person work requirements until September 30, 2025 (or earlier if you choose to accelerate your resignation for any reason).
Those wishing to accept the offer were given the following instructions:
Select ‘Reply’ this email. You must reply from your government account. A reply from an account other than your .gov or .mil account will not be accepted.
Type the word ‘Resign’ into the body of this reply email. Hit ‘Send.’
The seemingly generous proposal is part of the Trump administration’s plan to restructure the federal government and remove the deep state obstructionists from its relevant departments.
The administration is also trying to implement a hiring freeze, although this is proving more difficult as many agencies are still actively hiring and filling positions.
Federal employees have until Thursday to accept the offer.
