President Donald Trump’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM) offered on Tuesday to give all federal employees nearly eight months of full pay and benefits if they decide to turn in their resignation before Feb. 6.
[RELATED: Report Shows 94% of Federal Bureaucrats Don’t Come Into the Office Full Time…]
The offer allows President Trump, along with his newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by Elon Musk, to work on reducing excess government spending and bureaucratic bloat without simply firing federal employees.
Federal workers irked by the new rules requiring in-office work five days per week need only send an email to an OPM account with the word “Resign” in the subject line to sign up for the generous severance package.
“Worth noting that the 8 month severance offer through the end of the government fiscal year is the most that is legally allowed without Congress passing another appropriations bill. Very generous,” said Musk on X.
With the voluntary offer, Trump can reduce the federal workforce without confronting civil service rules and government employees unions, which present tremendous obstacles to firing government employees even in cases of wrong-doing or demonstrable incompetence.
Musk’s America PAC estimates that between five and ten percent of the federal workforce is likely to take the Trump administration’s offer, ultimately saving taxpayers up to $100 billion.
In a notice to sent to approximately 2 million federal workers, the OPM did not promise that every employee who chooses not to take the generous resignation package will be allowed to continue in their position but assured them that they would be treated fairly if their positions are eliminated.
“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 OPM notice stated.
The offer comes as Trump plans to drastically change the way federal employees will work.
The OPM re-iterated that, under Trump, the federal government would prioritize merit among its workers and be held to increased ethical standards.
“Employees will be subject to enhanced standards of suitability and conduct as we move forward. Employees who engage in unlawful behavior or other misconduct will be prioritized for appropriate investigation and discipline, including termination,” said the OPM.
On his first day in office, Trump publicly signed an executive order demanding that federal employees return to work in person, five days a week.
Employees across the country, in both government and the private sector, transitioned to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.
Despite the end of mandated lockdowns, many federal employees never returned to full in-person work routines.
A report from Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), released in December, showed that only six percent of federal workers come into the office on a full-time basis, and a staggering 33 percent never come into the office at all.
“Bureaucrats have been found in a bubble bath, on the golf course, running their own business, and even getting busted doing crime while on taxpayers’ time. Members of President Biden’s own cabinet claimed to be on the clock while being out of office and unreachable,” Sen. Ernst wrote in her report.
American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), one of the labor unions claiming to represent 800,000 federal workers, balked at the buy-out offer.
“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,” the AFGE said Tuesday.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) endorsed the president’s plan and said it was an example of the Trump administration “thinking outside the box.”
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="34620 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=34620">10 Comments
Great idea and better than getting fired.
Another unfunded program by this shit administration; just like his attempt to make a concentration camp in Guantanamo.
Guantanamo is THE PERFECT place to send all these low life criminal illegal alien gang members that WE DONT WANT HERE and that their home countries won’t take back either .
Why is that so hard to understand .?
Alexa and Siri are CIA tools to gather information about your pathetic lives.
Love it! Get as many of these government layabouts and pajama boys out as possible! It’s a great offer, 8 months pay to look for a new stay at home job, but off the taxpayers dime! C’mon man!
The Democrats main line injection. The 80% skim off the dues paid to the civil servant labor organizers.
It seems really dangerous to be just randomly cutting government jobs – many of these deal with public safety
Its a yet another scam by this shit president. The federal government is only funded through mid-march. Anyone who takes this offer will be fire and left holding the bag when that day passes.
This is so good. Over the years, our Federal bureaucracies have become bloated and dysfunctional. Many have lost sight of their original reason for being, and now exist mostly to serve themselves. A radical house cleaning is just what we need!
“bloated” is an interesting way to describe the government. Staffing levels have not increased in line with the growth of the population or economy; the number of people working for the feds is *tiny* compared to what it would be if it matched population and economic growth since the 50’s.