More than 20,000 federal workers have reportedly accepted President Donald Trump’s offer to resign with a buyout of several months of severance.
🚨 SHOCKING NUMBERS! About 20,000 federal workers have accepted the "buyout" offer put forward by the Trump administration last week as per Axios.
(Trump message for those leaving in the attached video) pic.twitter.com/5OIQuKHooa
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 4, 2025
Trump began this effort with an executive order requiring all federal employees to return to in-person work, prompting outrage from the federal workforce. He then focused on reforming the federal hiring process to once again focus on merit rather than so-called “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI).
Alongside these orders, Trump offered nearly all of the federal employees a buyout, which would allow them to maintain their current compensation and benefits until September 30 as long as they resign by February 6.
“The offer extends to the majority of the 2.3 million federal workforce, with notable exceptions including military personnel, U.S. Postal Service employees and those in immigration enforcement, national security roles or other agency-excluded positions,” Forbes reported.
The news was announced to federal employees via a “Deferred Resignation Email” sent by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on January 28.
Speaking with Axios, a Trump administration official explained that they “expect more to come” beyond just the 20,000 employees who have accepted the buyout offer.
“If you see what’s happening at USAID, it’s just one piece of the puzzle,” the official added.
In a FAQ page about the changes on OPM’s website, the agency explained that the “federal workforce is expected to undergo significant near-term changes” under Trump’s leadership.
“As a result of these changes (or for other reasons), you may wish to depart the federal government on terms that provide you with sufficient time and economic security to plan for your future—and have a nice vacation,” OPM noted.
“Any government shutdown could potentially affect an employee’s pay regardless of whether he or she has accepted the deferred resignation offer. Moreover, if you accept the deferred resignation offer, you would still be entitled to backpay under the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019,” OPM wrote.
“If your retirement date is between October 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025, you are still eligible for deferred resignation (unless your position is exempted from the deferred resignation program by your agency). If your retirement date is within this window, your deferred resignation date will be extended to match your retirement date,” OPM added.
