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The White House announced on Wednesday that over 75,000 federal workers accepted a buyout offer by the Trump administration’s deadline.
The White House Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sent the offer to employees last month, allowing pay and benefits through September if they agreed to leave their jobs by Feb. 6, a date later delayed by courts.
“As of 7:00 PM tonight, the program is now closed,” OPM spokesperson McLaurine Pinover said in a statement.
“There is no longer any doubt: the Deferred Resignation Program was both legal and a valuable option for federal employees. This program was carefully designed, thoroughly vetted, and provides generous benefits so federal workers can plan for their futures,” the statement added.
As of last Thursday, when a judge delayed the deadline until the following Monday, approximately 60,000 workers had accepted the buyout offer.
The buyout is part of Trump’s plan to shrink the size of the federal government and remove employees unwilling to return to working in office or support the Trump administration’s agenda. The number includes approximately 2 percent of the federal workforce.
The update also comes as the Trump administration warned federal workers earlier this month that many government agencies will be downsized.
“While a few agencies and even branches of the military are likely to see increases in the size of their workforce, the majority of federal agencies are likely to be downsized through restructurings, realignments, and reductions in force,” the OPM wrote.
“These actions are likely to include the use of furloughs and the reclassification to at-will status for a substantial number of federal employees,” the statement added.
RSBN previously reported that under the Biden administration, the House Oversight Committee released a report stating that as of May 2024, more than half of the 2.2 million federal civilian employees were either partly teleworking or working fully remotely.
Trump has reversed that policy, directing department and agency heads to “take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person” as soon as feasible, with limited exceptions.
A 90-day hiring freeze has also been implemented across the executive branch, preventing new hires for vacant positions. The freeze does not apply to the military or roles related to immigration enforcement, national security or public safety.
