President Donald Trump is offering buyouts to nearly all federal workers in an attempt to reduce the size of the federal government.
The administration expects 5% to 10% of the federal workforce to accept the offer, which contains eight months of pay and benefits.
The White House confirmed the plan to the Washington Examiner.
“American taxpayers pay for the salaries of federal government employees, and therefore deserve employees working on their behalf who actually show up to work in our wonderful federal buildings, also paid for by taxpayers,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. “If they don’t want to work in the office and contribute to making America great again, then they are free to choose a different line of work, and the Trump Administration will provide a very generous payout of 8 months.”
Federal employees must resign by Feb. 6 if they accept the offer. The buyout option will be sent to employees in the form of a governmentwide email, which will present a draft resignation letter that the employee can respond to with the word “resign.”
“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,” reads the email that will be sent to federal workers. “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.”
The move is especially targeted to the remote and hybrid workforce, of which the administration wants to reduce the number, as well as utilize more in-person government workers. The White House believes the move could save taxpayers $100 billion annually.
The offer will not apply to military personnel, the U.S. Postal Service, and those working in immigration enforcement or national security, according to Axios.
The largest federal employee union condemned the buyouts, which could be accepted by many thousands of employees.
“Between the flurry of anti-worker executive orders and policies, it is clear that the Trump administration’s goal is to turn the federal government into a toxic environment where workers cannot stay even if they want to,” American Federation of Government Employees President Everett Kelley said in a statement.
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The subject line of the email sent to employees will reportedly say “A fork in the road,” referencing a metaphor for a deciding point in a person’s life.
Department of Government Efficiency leader Elon Musk, who aims to cut down on massive spending within the administration, pinned a post to his X profile that shows an art piece he commissioned, also titled “A fork in the road.”
