At least 20,000 federal employees have reportedly accepted the Trump administration’s deferred resignation offer, totaling about 1% of the federal workforce.
Last week, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management sent an email to nearly 2.3 million federal workers, offering pay and benefits through September if they announce their intention to resign by Thursday. Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, said he expects between 5% to 10% of federal employees to accept the Trump administration’s offer.
The number of federal employees who elect to resign is expected to rise before the Thursday deadline. OPM officials already said the number of 20,000 resignations is not up to date.
“The number of deferred resignations is rapidly growing,” an OPM official told the Washington Post. That person did not, however, give an updated number.
Members of Congress have reminded employees that federal funding is not guaranteed after March 14.
“It’s important you know that, right now, the federal government is only funded through March 14, 2025,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), the ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Committee, wrote in an email. “At this point, there is no funding allocated to agencies to pay staff for this offer.”
Democratic state attorneys general are also advising federal employees not to take the Trump administration’s offer, calling it “misleading.”
“President Trump’s so-called buyout offers are nothing more than the latest attack on federal workers and the services they provide,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “These supposed offers are not guaranteed. Federal employees should be cautious and follow the guidance of their unions to protect their rights.”
As Trump administration officials have yet to see the number of resignations they expected, agencies such as the General Services Administration, which employs 12,000 people nationwide, have suggested they may have to lay federal workers off.
Erv Koehler, assistant commissioner of general supplies and services at GSA, said the Trump administration is looking to downsize the agency’s budget by 50% and is asking it to provide a “bare minimum” of full-time staff they need to function.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“Please know that I empathize with the tough decisions you each are having to make,” Koehler reportedly wrote in an email to employees regarding the resignation offer. “Please focus on making the best decision for you and your particular situation.”
The federal government refers to layoffs as “Reduction in Force” — the last time the GSA did so was under former President Ronald Reagan’s administration when it cut 800 of its 11,500 positions.