President Donald Trump is now offering federal employees “deferred resignation,” which means workers who voluntarily resign by Feb. 6 will continue to get paid until Sept. 30.
Those who accept the offer will be placed on paid administrative leave through September 30, during which they will retain full pay and benefits but will be exempt from in-person work requirements.
All full-time federal employees are eligible for the offer with a few exceptions, including members of the military, employees of the U.S. Postal Service and positions related to immigration enforcement and national security.
The Trump-Vance Administration is hopeful that 5%-10% of the federal workforce will accept the offer in an effort to shrink the federal workforce, which could lead to roughly $100 billion in savings.
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) criticized Trump’s deal and called it a “fake ‘buyout.’”
“[There is] no guarantee he won’t screw them the minute they accept and then replace them with unqualified, inexperienced loyalists the second they leave,” said the Democratic lawmaker.
“This is STRAIGHT from the pages of Project 2025,” she added.
U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) also called the president’s offer “bogus.”
Kaine took to the Senate floor on Tuesday and stated, that Trump lacks “authority” to make this type of deal.
“There’s no budget line item to pay people who are not showing up for work,” he explained. “Don’t be fooled.”
“Yeah, the president has tried to terrorize you for about a week and then gives you a little sweetheart offer if you resign in the next week, ‘we’re just going to pay you for doing nothing for the next 7 months,’” Kaine said mockingly. “[Trump has] tricked hundreds of people with that offer. If you accept that offer and resign, he’ll stiff you just like he stiffed [previous] contractors.”
Some analysts suggest that if an insufficient number of federal employees accept President Trump's buyout offer, it could result in significant layoffs.
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