President Donald Trump has extended buyout offers to nearly all federal employees who prefer not to return to the office, a significant step towards downsizing the US government.
In an email distributed to millions of workers on Tuesday, the administration informed employees that they needed to decide by February 6th whether they wanted to participate in a "deferred resignation program." Those opting to leave their positions by this date would be granted a severance package equivalent to about eight months of salary.
The Trump administration anticipates that approximately 10% of employees, or roughly 200,000 individuals out of the federal government's two million workforce, will accept the offer. Senior officials believe that this initiative could potentially save up to $100 billion.
Employees interested in accepting the offer were required to respond to the email with the word "resign" in the subject line by Tuesday. The offer includes compensation and benefits for employees until September 30th.
Not all employees were eligible for the buyout, including postal workers, military personnel, immigration officers, and some national security employees, as outlined in the email.
The email stated, "We cannot provide complete assurance about the certainty of your position or agency, but if your position is eliminated, you will be treated with dignity."
This development comes after Trump's recent directive that federal employees who had been teleworking due to the Covid pandemic must return to the office full-time.
Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, mentioned to CNN that the government workforce, consisting of two million workers, is predominantly left-leaning, emphasizing the importance for Trump to assert control over the government.
Throughout his campaign, Trump pledged to reduce government size and cut federal spending. He appointed Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead an advisory group dedicated to reducing regulations, expenses, and workforce numbers within the federal government. However, Ramaswamy has since departed from the "Department of Government Efficiency" (Doge).
The email on Tuesday draws parallels to a similar communication sent to Twitter, now X, employees in late 2022 following Musk's acquisition of the social media platform, where employees had to indicate via email if they wished to remain with the company.
A district judge halted the order, originally slated to take effect on Tuesday afternoon until the following Monday, causing widespread uncertainty regarding the potential impact on federal programs and entities. The White House worked to allay concerns about potential disruptions to Social Security payments and Medicaid access.
In response to the plan to suspend funding, top Democrats voiced "extreme alarm" in a letter to the White House.
Additionally, on Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order targeting restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors. Titled 'Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,' the order aims to prevent those under 19 from making "life-altering" decisions regarding gender transition.
The order declares, "It is the policy of the United States not to fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called 'transition' of a child from one sex to another." The implementation and potential legal challenges of this order remain uncertain.