United States President Donald Trump has introduced a significant offer to federal workers, allowing most of them the option to leave their government jobs by next week in return for eight months of severance pay. This initiative is part of a broader strategy aimed at downsizing the federal workforce. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced the offer through a memorandum on Tuesday, marking a critical step toward fulfilling one of Trump's campaign promises to shrink the government. This memorandum also stated that all federal employees would soon face "enhanced standards of suitability and conduct."
Currently, the US federal government employs more than three million people, accounting for nearly 1.9 percent of the nation’s entire civilian workforce, as reported by the Pew Research Center. Federal employees typically have an average tenure of nearly 12 years, according to a Pew analysis of data from the OPM. The proposed buyout offer is expected to impact over two million federal employees, as noted by Katie Miller, who is on an advisory board to the Department of Government Efficiency.
"This email is being sent to more than TWO MILLION federal employees." – Katie Miller
In a controversial move, Elon Musk has been tapped to head the newly-established Department of Government Efficiency. Musk's involvement follows his considerable financial contributions to support Trump and other Republicans in the November elections. The email sent to federal employees bears similarities to a message that was disseminated to Twitter staff when Musk acquired the social media platform in late 2022. Employees were then asked to respond via email if they wished to remain at the company, which Musk later renamed X.
The Trump administration anticipates that 5 to 10 percent of federal staff may choose to resign, thereby achieving an estimated $100 billion in savings. Those opting for voluntary departure must decide by February 6 and will receive approximately eight months' salary. However, this decision has faced criticism from union leaders. Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees union, expressed concern that these offers should not be perceived as voluntary buyouts but rather as coercion for non-loyal workers to vacate their positions.
"Purging the federal government of dedicated career federal employees will have vast, unintended consequences that will cause chaos for the Americans who depend on a functioning federal government," – Kelley
