Trump administration to offer buyouts to all federal workers ahead of return to office

The Trump administration is offering all 2 million federal employees what amounts to a buyout if they do not intend to return to work in person later this year, sources confirmed to The Hill.

Four sources confirmed to The Hill that the emails are set to go out beginning Tuesday evening to the federal employees informing workers that they can retain benefits and be paid through September if they hand in their resignation by Feb. 6.

The buyouts are available to all full-time federal employees, excluding military personnel, U.S. Postal Service workers and positions related to immigration enforcement and national security.

The emails are expected to come from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), two sources said.

One buyout email reviewed by The Hill was sent with the subject line “fork in the road” and noted that “return to office” was one of four pillars of Trump’s “reformed” federal workforce.

The email instructed workers to reply to the email with “resign” if they wish to leave.

The email also indicated that continuing to remain in service amid the return to office work did not guarantee employment – a nod to multiple Trump efforts to shrink the workforce.

“If you choose to remain in your current position, we thank you for your renewed focus on serving the American people,” the email states, adding, “At this time, we cannot give you full assurance regarding the certainty of your position.” 

“If you chose not to continue in your current role in the federal workforce, we thank you for your service to your country,” it says, adding that employees will receive a “dignified, fair departure.”

An earlier email reviewed by The Hill suggested the notices would reach employees at each agency separately but would arrive “starting tonight.”

Many employees who opt to resign will be placed on administrative leave, according to a document explaining the process obtained by The Hill.

Individuals who choose to resign will receive a confirmation email within 48 hours, according to the document. Employees are not obligated to respond, and any decision to resign is voluntary.

Those who choose to take the buyout could choose to accelerate their resignation and leave their job before the end of September, the document states. The buyout will not be available after Feb. 6, though exceptions might be made for those who were on approved leave leading up to that date.

Axios, which first reported on the buyout offer, reported that the White House expects 5 percent to 10 percent of federal employees to take the offer, which would amount to hundreds of thousands of workers.

Remote work became common for federal employees during the coronavirus pandemic, but Trump and his allies have sought to get workers back in the office.

While the Trump team has complained about the level of employees working from home, the majority of federal employees are not eligible to do so.

A prior report from OMB that has since been removed from the White House website found that 54 percent of federal employees have a job that requires being on site — a group that includes Pentagon employees, those working in Veterans Affairs Medical Centers and more.

Of those who are permitted to telework, more than 60 percent of their working hours were spent at the office. 

Trump on his first day in office signed a memorandum directing all departments and agencies in the executive branch to “take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis, provided that the department and agency heads shall make exemptions they deem necessary.”

Trump has sought to remake the federal workforce in other ways since taking office. He has fired more than a dozen inspectors general across different agencies; his Justice Department ousted prosecutors who worked on former special counsel Jack Smith’s team; and he signed an executive order giving him greater authority over federal employees.

Updated 6:57 p.m.