President Donald Trump is expected to issue a memo offering to pay federal workers who don’t want to return to the office through September 30, as long as they resign by February 6, according to an explosive report from Axios. Trump previously issued a number of executive orders aimed at drastically restructuring
The Office of Personnel Management described the offer as administrative leave with pay and benefits, according to the report. An agency spokesperson later confirmed that the offer is in place, adding that federal employees are expected to receive additional details on Tuesday evening.
The administration expects anywhere between five and 10 percent of the current federal workforce to accept the officer, which could potentially result in hundreds of thousands of resignations. In total, the buyouts are expected to save taxpayers more than $100 billion on a yearly basis.
“The President required that employees return to in-person work, restored accountability for employees who have policy-making authority, restored accountability for senior career executives, and reformed the federal hiring process to focus on merit. As a result of the above orders, the reform of the federal workforce will be significant,” reads an email sent to agency heads.
The email further instructs federal employees that if they “choose to remain in your current position” they cannot be given “full assurance regarding the certainty of your position or agency but should your position be eliminated you will be treated with dignity and will be afforded the protections in place for such positions.” The program is expected to begin on January 28 and will run through 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),” the email continues.
“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,” a senior administration official told Axios.
Trump signs a number of executive orders just hours after being sworn in on January 20
After being sworn in on January 20, President Trump imposed a hiring freeze on federal workers and issued new guidelines for hiring when the freeze is lifted. The president also signed an executive order that will end remote work across vast swaths of the federal government.
On Monday, the administration provided additional details on its plan to reclassify thousands of federal workers and remove protections that prevent them from being fired, according to a memo sent to agency heads. Trump also effectively banned “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI) policies, which have long been associated with race-based hiring practices and promotion of left-wing ideology in the workplace, at the federal level.
All government DEI officers were ordered to close by the end of the day last Wednesday, while employees working within those offices were placed on administrative leave. In total, more than 400 federal DEI employees have already been placed on leave.
