Donald Trump (Image: Getty)
is pushing forward with measures intended to shrink the US government – and has now reportedly offered buyout packages to almost all federal staff who don’t want to work in the office.
‘s administration sent an email to millions of employees on Tuesday, giving workers February 6 deadline to decide whether they wanted to leave as part of a “deferred resignation program”.
The message, sent by the government’s HR agency, the Office of Personnel Management, said those who opt to resign would get a severance package of about eight months of salary.
Remote working policies put in place during the Pandemic are still in place for many federal employees.
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Employees were told: “If you resign under this program, you will retain all pay and benefits regardless of your daily workload and will be exempted from all applicable in-person work requirements until September 30, 2025 (or earlier if you choose to accelerate your resignation for any reason).”
The White House expects as much as 10% of employees to accept the offer, which amounts to around 200,000 of the two million or so workers employed by the federal government, reports.
Senior Trump officials claim the move could save the government up to $100bn (around £80bn).
Some employees weren’t included in the offer including members of the military, postal workers, some national security workers, and immigration officials, as per the email.
Those wishing to accept the deal were asked to reply to the email, putting the word “resign” in the subject line.
Employees who opted to stay were also warned there could be future downsizing, with the email stating: “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.”
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It comes after Trump signed a presidential memo just hours after being sworn in, that ordered federal workers to return to their offices five days a week, though some exemptions were identified, as per .
Critics of the approach say it’s intended to make long-time employees quit, to be replaced by loyalists sympathetic to Trump’s agenda.
In an interview with CNN, Stephen Miller, , and said it was “essential” that Trump “get control of government”.
78, repeatedly pledged to reduce the size of the Government and slash federal spending as he campaigned for his second term.