Both sides of the aisle are claiming victory after a federal judge temporarily paused the Trump administration’s government employee buyout proposal, extending the deadline for workers to accept the offer.
On February 6, U.S. District Court Judge George O’Toole Jr. issued a temporary pause on the expiration of the Trump administration’s government employee buyout proposal, which would give severance pay until September 30 to any employee who chooses to resign. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sent out an email announcing the proposal on January 28, giving government workers a deadline of February 6 to resign.
While over 60,000 employees have willingly accepted the offer, Democrats have challenged the buyout in court. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), a labor union representing more than 750,000 government employees, has demanded that the program be blocked — claiming that it is illegal, despite the fact that former President Bill Clinton implemented the same type of buyout program and had the support of Democrats to do so.
The judge extended the deadline until at least February 10 while he considers the legality of the program.
DOGE: Another federal judge is blocking Trump's agenda. This time it is a Clinton-appointed judge who has blocked Trump's buyout offer that was set to expire at midnight tonight. The judge hinted that he might block it entirely during Monday's hearing. The Democrat's goal is to… pic.twitter.com/x3raNEnehr
— @amuse (@amuse) February 6, 2025
Both sides of the aisle are currently claiming victory over the judge’s decision, though for different reasons.
“We are pleased the court temporarily paused this deadline while arguments are heard about the legality of the deferred resignation program. We continue to believe this program violates the law, and we will continue to aggressively defend our members’ rights,” AFGE president Everett Kelley said in response to the judge’s decision.
Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the Trump administration is happy with the extension, as it gives more federal workers time to accept the buyout, further shrinking the bloated bureaucracy.
“We are grateful to the Judge for extending the deadline so more federal workers who refuse to show up to the office can take the Administration up on this very generous, once-in-a-lifetime offer,” Leavitt said.
🚨 UPDATE: FEDERAL LABOR UNIONS are the ones who sued to BLOCK the Trump admin from offering federal workers buyouts, per Fox
Union bosses are TERRIFIED that they're going to lose out on union dues as the federal workforce shrinks. That's what this is about.
These unions just… https://t.co/sTIRX47ocN pic.twitter.com/wZmxsg1ZII
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) February 6, 2025
The program began with a Deferred Resignation Email sent to employees, which informed them that the Trump administration was planning serious cuts to the bureaucracy that could lead to numerous positions being eliminated. In the message, which was titled “A Fork in the Road,” OPM explained that the Trump administration was going to reform the federal workforce based on four major “pillars” — which included working in-person at the office, focusing on excellence, shrinking the size of federal agencies, and raising standards for employee conduct.
“If you choose to remain in your current position, we thank you for your renewed focus on serving the American people to the best of your abilities and look forward to working together as part of an improved federal workforce,” the message read. “At this time, we cannot give you 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.”
