President Donald Trump has suggested offering buyout packages to most federal employees who do not want to return to the office. This move is intended to downsize the US government.
In an email distributed to millions of employees on Tuesday, the administration informed workers that they must decide by 6 February whether to join a “deferred resignation program.”
The message indicated that if they chose to resign by that date, they would receive approximately eight months of salary as a severance package.
According to the BBC’s US partner, CBS News, the Trump administration expects up to 10% of employees, or around 200,000 of the federal government’s more than two million workers, to accept the offer.
On Tuesday, employees interested in accepting the offer were instructed to respond to the email with “resign” in the subject line. The package provides both salary and benefits for employees until September 30.
According to the email, certain employees, including postal workers, members of the military, immigration officials, and some national security workers, did not receive the offer.
The email follows Trump’s previous announcement that federal employees working remotely since the Covid pandemic must return to the office five days a week.
Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, told CNN on Tuesday that most of the government’s two million employees lean significantly left. He emphasized that it was “crucial” for Trump to “gain control of the government.”
Trump consistently promised to reduce government size and decrease federal spending during his campaign.
