Happy New Year 2025

Tag: buyout

Roughly 75,000 federal employees agree to Trump’s buyout offer

Roughly 75,000 federal employees have accepted President Donald Trump’s deferred resignation program, after the U.S. Office of Personnel Management offered more than 2 million federal civilian employees buyouts in January to leave their jobs or be forced to return to work in person.

Employees who accepted the so-called “fork in the road” offer will retain all pay and benefits and be exempt from in-person work until Sept. 30, a move that’s part of a broader attempt by the Trump administration to downsize the federal government.

“We have too many people,” Trump told reporters Tuesday in a press briefing. “We have office spaces occupied by 4% – nobody showing up to work because they were told not to.”

The White House confirmed to Fox News Digital that numbers had climbed to 75,000 as of Thursday morning.

JUDGE RESTORES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S BUYOUT OFFER TO FEDERAL WORKERS

Roughly 75,000 federal employees have accepted President Donald Trump’s deferred resignation program. (Fox News/Special Report)

The Trump administration’s offer faced scrutiny, and a federal judge temporarily blocked the administration’s plan from advancing amid challenges from labor union groups who voiced concerns that the law didn’t require the Trump administration to hold up its end of the deal.

However, U.S. District Judge George O’Toole of Massachusetts ruled in favor of the White House Wednesday evening, asserting the plaintiffs in the case aren’t directly impacted by the Trump administration’s offer.

They “allege that the directive subjects them to upstream effects including a diversion of resources to answer members’ questions about the directive, a potential loss of membership, and possible reputational harm,” O’Toole wrote.

“The unions do not have the required direct stake in the Fork Directive, but are challenging a policy that affects others, specifically executive branch employees,” O’Toole wrote. “This is not sufficient.”

The Trump administration praised the court’s decision, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described it as “the first of many legal wins for the president.”

‘GET BACK TO WORK’: HOUSE OVERSIGHT TO TAKE ON GOVERNMENT TELEWORK IN 1ST HEARING OF NEW CONGRESS

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the court ruling as “the first of many legal wins for the president.” (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)

“The court dissolved the injunction due to a lack of standing,” Leavitt said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “This goes to show that lawfare will not ultimately prevail over the will of 77 million Americans who supported President Trump and his priorities.”

The buyout program is one of several initiatives the Trump administration has unveiled to cut down the federal workforce. On Tuesday, Trump also signed an executive order instructing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to coordinate with federal agencies and execute massive cuts in federal workforce staffing numbers.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The order instructs DOGE and federal agencies to work together to “significantly” shrink the size of the federal government and limit hiring new employees, according to a White House fact sheet on the order. Specifically, agencies must not hire more than one employee for every four that leave their federal post.

Agencies also are instructed to “undertake plans for large-scale reductions in force” and evaluate ways to eliminate or combine agency functions that aren’t legally required, the fact sheet said.

Fox News’ Andrea Margolis, Jake Gibson, Jacqui Heinrich and Patrick Ward contributed to this report.

Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House.

February 13, 2025
President Donald Trump’s buyout offer to federal workers restored by judge

Join Fox News for access to this content

You have reached your maximum number of articles. Log in or create an account FREE of charge to continue reading.

By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News’ Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive.

Please enter a valid email address.

Having trouble? Click here.

A federal judge restored President Donald Trump’s deferred resignation program for federal workers in a decision Wednesday.

The deferred resignation program, also known as the administration’s “fork in the road” offer, asked government workers to stay or leave after Trump required them to return to their offices shortly after his inauguration. The legal group Democracy Forward had filed a lawsuit over the program on behalf of labor unions that represent thousands of employees.

U.S. District Judge George O’Toole of Massachusetts made the ruling in favor of the White House Wednesday evening. In his decision, he wrote that the plaintiffs in the case “are not directly impacted by the directive” and denied their case on that basis.

“[T]hey allege that the directive subjects them to upstream effects including a diversion of resources to answer members’ questions about the directive, a potential loss of membership, and possible reputational harm,” O’Toole wrote.

TRUMP TO SIGN MEMO LIFTING BIDEN’S LAST-MINUTE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS

President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., Jan. 20. (Getty Images)

“The unions do not have the required direct stake in the Fork Directive, but are challenging a policy that affects others, specifically executive branch employees. This is not sufficient.”

Additionally, the judge wrote that his court “lacks subject matter jurisdiction to consider the plaintiffs’ pleaded claims,” noting similar cases where courts were found to have lacked authority.

“Aggrieved employees can bring claims through the administrative process,” O’Toole said. “That the unions themselves may be foreclosed from this administrative process does not mean that adequate judicial review is lacking.”

In a statement to Fox News, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the decision “the first of many legal wins for the President.”

“The court dissolved the injunction due to a lack of standing,” Leavitt said. “This goes to show that lawfare will not ultimately prevail over the will of 77 million Americans who supported President Trump and his priorities.”

‘GET BACK TO WORK’: HOUSE OVERSIGHT TO TAKE ON GOVERNMENT TELEWORK IN 1ST HEARING OF NEW CONGRESS

President Donald Trump speaks during the National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton Feb. 6 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) began emailing more than 2 million federal civilian employees offering them buyouts to leave their jobs shortly after Trump’s inauguration. The offers quickly outraged labor leaders, and the president of the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) called the offers “shady,” claiming the deals “should not be taken seriously.”

“The offer is not bound by existing law or policy, nor is it funded by Congress,” NFFE National President Randy Erwin said. “There is nothing to hold OPM or the White House accountable to the terms of their agreement.

“Federal employees will not give in to this shady tactic pressuring them to quit. Civil servants care way too much about their jobs, their agency missions and their country to be swayed by this phony ploy. To all federal employees: Do not resign.”

Republican attorneys general previously signaled support for Trump’s program, writing in an amicus curiae brief Sunday that a challenge to the constitutionality of the order “would inevitably fail.”

U.S. District Judge George O’Toole of Massachusetts made the ruling in favor of the White House Wednesday evening in Boston. (Reuters/Lauren Owen Lambert)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Courts should refrain from intruding into the President’s well-settled Article II authority to supervise and manage the federal workforce,” the filing said. “Plaintiffs seek to inject this Court into federal workforce decisions made by the President and his team. The Court can avoid raising any separation of powers concerns by denying Plaintiffs’ relief and allowing the President and his team to manage the federal workforce.”

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

February 13, 2025
Judge to weigh Trump federal employee buyout backed by Republican AGs

Jack Otter and the ‘Barron’s Roundtable’ panelists discuss how DOGE is shaking up Washington, D.C.

As Big Labor challenges President Donald Trump’s federal employee buyout order, Republican attorneys general from 22 states came to the administration’s defense late Sunday.

On Monday, a federal judge in Boston will weigh the legality of the Trump administration’s U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) “Fork Directive.”

Federal employees have until 11:59 p.m. Monday to decide if they are submitting their deferred resignation in return for eight months of paid leave.

On Feb. 2, 2 million federal employees received an email after business hours closed advising them of a “fork in the road” – they were told they could accept eight months of paid leave if they agreed to resign by Feb. 6. The buyout offer, which came as part of Elon Musk’s effort to reduce federal waste at the Department of Government Efficiency, prompted a swift blow back from federal labor unions, which argued the Fork Directive is unlawful under the Administrative Procedure Act and Antideficiency Act and that they will suffer “irreparable harm.”

Montana Attorney General Austen Knudsen – joined by the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and West Virginia – challenged those arguments brought by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations in court.

SENATE DOGE REPUBLICAN PUSHES BILL TO BRING GOVERNMENT COMPUTER SYSTEMS ‘OUT OF THE STONE AGE’

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb. 3, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images / Getty Images)

The late Sunday amicus curiae brief filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts said the federal labor unions “complain” about Trump’s executive orders about the federal workforce and allege the president is eliminating offices and programs supported by congressional appropriations, but “do not challenge the authority to issue the Fork Directive or its constitutionality” because “such a challenge would inevitably fail.”

“Courts should refrain from intruding into the President’s well-settled Article II authority to supervise and manage the federal workforce,” the filing said. “Plaintiffs seek to inject this Court into federal workforce decisions made by the President and his team. The Court can avoid raising any separation of powers concerns by denying Plaintiffs’ relief and allowing the President and his team to manage the federal workforce.”

The Republican attorneys general asked the court to deny the plaintiffs’ motion for a temporary restraining order.

The Fork Directive reports that Trump is reforming the federal workforce around four pillars: return to office, performance culture, more streamlined and flexible workforce, and enhanced standards of conduct. It is intended to “improve services that the federal workforce provides to Americans” by “freeing up government resources and revenue to focus on better serving the American people,” the filing said.

The filing noted that 65,000 federal workers had already accepted the voluntary deferred resignation offer by its original Feb. 6 deadline.

Protesters rally outside the Theodore Roosevelt Federal Building headquarters of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management on Feb. 5, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images / Getty Images)

U.S. District Judge George O’Toole Jr., who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton, on Thursday temporarily blocked the deferred resignation offer until Monday’s hearing, and the Trump administration pushed back the deadline to 11:59 p.m. Monday.

DOGE CANCELS FUNDING FOR FAUCI MUSEUM EXHIBIT

In a statement, AFGE said the Fork Directive “is the latest attempt by the Trump-Vance administration to implement Project 2025’s dangerous plans to remove career public service workers and replace them with partisan loyalists.” The federal labor union said the directive “amounts to a clear ultimatum to a sweeping number of federal employees: resign now or face the possibility of job loss without compensation in the near future.”

“We are grateful to the judge for extending the deadline so more federal workers who refuse to show up to the office can take the Administration up on this very generous, once-in-a-lifetime offer,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told NBC News last week.

Further defending the Trump administration, the Republican attorneys general wrote that the Fork Directive – which takes similar language used during Musk’s mass layoffs when he took over Twitter – also is in line with public opinion, citing recent polling supporting that “Americans’ confidence in the federal government has reached depths not seen since the Vietnam War” and that “a majority of Americans believe the federal government is too large, inefficient, and wasteful.”

The Theodore Roosevelt Federal Building headquarters of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management is seen on Feb. 3, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images / Getty Images)

“The American people elected a president who repeatedly made clear his desire for a more efficient, smaller government,” they wrote. “The Fork Directive is consistent with those desires. Thus, when weighing the equitable factors, the public interest weighs strongly against Plaintiffs’ requested relief.”

The federal labor unions requested a temporary restraining order so that the OPM could review the legal basis of the directive – something the GOP attorneys general said “makes no sense.”

“If the Fork Directive is unlawful (it’s not), then why are they asking—even in the alternative—for it to be implemented under more relaxed timelines?” they wrote.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The filing also said the plaintiff’s claim of “irreparable harm” in lost membership and revenues did not hold water, arguing that extending the deadline would increase the harm to the unions by allowing additional employees to participate.

February 10, 2025
Federal judge delays Trump administration’s buyout deadline for federal workers

A federal judge pushed back the deadline for President Donald Trump’s buyout offer for federal workers on Thursday.

Trump’s administration initially told federal workers they needed to decide whether to accept the buyout offer by Thursday. The new ruling delays the deadline to at least Monday, with another hearing on the issue scheduled for that day.

This is a developing story. Check back soon for udpates.

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.

February 6, 2025
Unions sue Trump administration over ‘arbitrary and capricious’ employee buyout offers

Trump administration offers buyouts to federal employees

Fox News’ Peter Doocy reports the latest on the offer from the White House. Doocy and the ‘Fox & Friends’ co-hosts also discuss the decision to pull Gen. Mark Milley’s security detail and Karoline Leavitt’s first White House press conference.

As a deadline looms for government employees to fold to an ultimatum given by the Trump administration to either accept a buyout or return to the office, unions representing those workers have filed a lawsuit, calling the offer “arbitrary and capricious.”

The Trump administration is offering buyouts for nearly 2 million federal employees, including those who work remotely, as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to get employees back into the office, but they only have until Feb. 6 to opt-in.

Under the buyout offer, the employee will stop working this week and receive pay benefits through Sept. 30.

Exempt from the offer are public safety employees, like air traffic controllers.

‘GET BACK TO WORK’: HOUSE OVERSIGHT TO TAKE ON GOVERNMENT TELEWORK IN 1ST HEARING OF NEW CONGRESS

The deadline is Thursday for government employees to fold to an ultimatum given by the Trump administration to either accept a buyout, or return to the office. (Allison Robbert/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

During Trump’s first week in office, he issued several directives to the federal workforce, including a requirement that remote employees must return to in-person work.

With a deadline quickly approaching, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and two other unions filed a complaint, claiming the buyout offer is “arbitrary and capricious” and violates federal law.”

The unions allege the administration cannot guarantee the plan will be funded and has failed to consider the consequences of mass resignations, including how it may affect the government’s ability to function.

TRUMP TO SIGN MEMO LIFTING BIDEN’S LAST-MINUTE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS

President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House, Jan. 31, in Washington, D.C. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

On Tuesday, AFGE filed a lawsuit calling for a temporary restraining order (TRO) to halt the Trump administration’s “Fork Directive” deadline of Feb. 6 and require the government to articulate a policy that is lawful, not arbitrary and unlawful.

The union said the “Fork Directive” is the administration’s latest attempt to remove public service workers and replace them with partisan loyalists. The group also says the directive amounts to a clear ultimatum to a sweeping number of federal employees: “resign now or face the possibility of job loss without compensation in the near future.”

But the unions say the package being offered violates the law because the funds used to pay the employees who accept the offer have not been appropriated for that reason.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OFFERS BUYOUTS TO FEDERAL EMPLOYEES, INCLUDING REMOTE WORKERS: ‘DEFERRED RESIGNATION’

“AFGE is bringing this suit with our partners today to protect the integrity of the government and prevent union members from being tricked into resigning from the federal service,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said. “Federal employees shouldn’t be misled by slick talk from unelected billionaires and their lackeys. Despite claims made to the contrary, this deferred resignation scheme is unfunded, unlawful, and comes with no guarantees. We won’t stand by and let our members become the victims of this con.”

Last week, a government-wide email was sent out to ensure all federal workers were on board with the Trump administration’s plan.

The email pointed to four pillars that Trump set forth, to bring accountability back to the federal government, including a return to in-person work, restored accountability for employees who have policymaking authority, restored accountability for senior executives, and a reformed federal hiring process based on merit.

The email noted that the majority of federal employees who have worked remotely since COVID will be required to return to their physical offices five days a week.

For those who returned to office, the Trump administration thanked them for their “renewed focus” on serving the American people. But the future of their position could not be guaranteed, according to the email.

Last week, a government-wide email was sent out to ensure all federal workers were on board with the Trump administration’s plan. (iStock)

The buyouts do not apply to military personnel of the armed forces, postal service employees, positions related to immigration enforcement and national security, and any other positions specifically excluded by the agency the federal workers are employed by.

The White House is expecting a “spike” in federal resignations ahead of a Thursday deadline for a buyout offer, Fox News Digital has learned.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“The number of deferred resignations is rapidly growing, and we’re expecting the largest spike 24 to 48 hours before the deadline,” a White House official told Fox News Digital on Tuesday morning.

Axios reported earlier Tuesday that roughly 20,000 federal employees have taken the offer, accounting for about 1% of the federal government’s workforce.

The White House official told Fox News Digital following the report’s publication that the 20,000 figure “isn’t current.”

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter @GregWehner.

February 5, 2025
Lawmakers from state with most federal workers per capita warn against Trump buyout bid

Maryland lawmakers largely criticized or warned against their constituents accepting President Donald Trump’s offer to buy-out their positions or risk being part of the administration’s plans to slash the bureaucracy.

Last week, the administration offered “deferred resignation” until September with full pay and benefits, while the Washington Post reported Tuesday that layoffs will be “likely” if not enough bureaucrats take the offer.

Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, a freshman Democrat representing the Old Line State — which has the largest number of federal workers per capita — told the Baltimore Sun she is advising Marylanders against accepting the buyout deal.

In a statement to AFRO News, Alsobrooks described the Trump administration’s targeting of federal workers as a “witch hunt.”

“This buyout won’t just impact hardworking federal employees, it will hurt tens of millions of Americans who rely on Social Security,” said Alsobrooks, who was previously the head of government in Prince Georges County — abutting Washington, D.C. and home to much of the affected workforce.

TRUMP ADMIN OFFERS BUYOUTS TO REMOTE EMPLOYEES WHO DON’T RETURN TO OFFICE

DC-bound commuters sit in traffic on I-270 near the Capitol Beltway in Bethesda, MD. (Getty)

Meanwhile, Democratic Rep. Sarah Elfreth, D-Md. — who represents a line of bedroom communities including Columbia, Elkridge and Glen Burnie — said her constituents have been coming to her expressing worry about the situation.

Elfreth told Fox News Digital the buyout appears legally ambiguous and could have “dangerous implications… especially since Congress has not yet appropriated the funding necessary to carry out the president’s unsanctioned offer.”

“Pushing out career federal employees will only cripple agencies and undermine essential government services — it does nothing to make government more efficient,” she said.

Elfreth — who notably took over the newly un-gerrymandered Third District a judge described as a “broken-winged pterodactyl” — said she will meet with civil service groups and the government employees’ union (AFGE) in coming days.

She also urged concerned federal employees to consult AFGE’s “FAQ” report on the matter.

Meanwhile, Alsobrooks’ counterpart, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, urged federal workers to proceed cautiously, in remarks to the Sun.

SCHUMER MOCKED FOR CORONA-AVOCADO CLIP WARNING TRUMP TARIFFS WILL HURT SUPERBOWL PARTIES

Travelers cross out of West Virginia near Red House, MD; in the corner of the state’s western panhandle. (Charlie Creitz)

Van Hollen, D-Md., said affected Marylanders have to quickly make a decision but also understand questions about whether the Trump administration has the authority to do so, or “whether they have any real plans to make good on this bargain.”

Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore could not immediately be reached, and was hosting a major update on the FSK Bridge reconstruction Tuesday afternoon.

But, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown slammed the buyouts in a statement, saying the terms of the “vague, so-called ‘deferred resignation’ puts federal employees in an ambiguous position and risks straining essential government resources that people across the state and country rely on to live full, healthy lives.”

He called the situation the “latest attack on the government’s ability to provide vital support for Americans.”

“Federal employees are hardworking and dedicated civil servants who provide critical services to the people of the United States and Maryland,” Brown said.

Fox News Digital also reached out to Maryland Democratic Reps. Jamie Raskin and Glenn Ivey for their takes, as well.

Ivey represents Prince Georges County in what is the most heavily-Democratic seat in the Maryland delegation, while Raskin — a frequent Trump foil — represents Takoma Park, Silver Spring and many of Washington, D.C.’s immediate northern suburbs.

Both areas have a high concentration of federal workers. Raskin’s district is notably the one D.C. collar district to most recently host a Republican lawmaker, Rep. Connie Morella, until 2002.

Ivey could not be reached while at a retreat, while Raskin’s office did not respond.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (Getty)

On the other side of the Potomac, House Oversight Committee ranking member Gerald Connolly, D-Va., demanded documents relating to Trump’s “deferred resignation” offer.

Connolly, who, along with Rep. Donald Beyer, D-Va., represents the lion’s share of Virginia’s federal employees in Fairfax and Arlington respectively, said the buyout would “precipitate a mass exodus of the most experienced and capable federal employees, leaving our agencies severely understaffed and incapable of fulfilling their responsibilities.”

Connolly warned of a “brain drain” to be felt by every American if the plan proceeds.

Beyer did not respond to a request for comment.

Requests for comment to Maryland House Speaker Adrienne Jones, D-Catonsville, and Senate President Bill Ferguson IV, D-Baltimore, also went unanswered.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].

February 4, 2025
AGs warn against federal workers taking Trump admin buyout offer

Comer vows to bring federal employees back to work

Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer delivered scathing remarks at the first hearing of the 119th Congress, criticizing the Biden administration’s handling of telework policies for federal employees.

A coalition of attorneys general are warning federal employees about the Trump administration’s “questionable” buyout offer, saying those who choose to resign may not be guaranteed its benefits.

Nearly all federal employees were offered a buyout as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to get workers to physically report back to the office. They have until Thursday to opt in, according to an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) email sent out to all federal workers.

Those who choose to resign under the program will retain all pay and benefits, regardless of workload, and will be exempt from their in-person work requirements until Sep. 30.

However, the attorneys general said unions representing federal employees — the American Federation of Government Employees and National Federation of Federal Employees — have warned their members against accepting the offer, saying they are not guaranteed to be paid the benefits.

HOUSE OVERSIGHT REPORT SAYS TELEWORK IS ‘WASTING BILLIONS’ IN TAXPAYER CASH AHEAD OF 1ST HEARING

President Donald Trump, from left, speaks as Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick and Rupert Murdoch listen in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington, as Trump prepares to sign an executive order. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

“Federal employees provide vital services that Americans rely on every day, and are an essential part of the California economy and communities across the state,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “The Trump Administration’s so-called buyout offer is a pointed attack aimed at dismantling our federal workforce and sowing chaos for Americans that rely on a functioning government. I urge federal employees to heed warnings from their unions to be very cautious of any buyout offers.”

The other attorneys general hail from Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Vermont and Washington.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House.

‘GET BACK TO WORK’: HOUSE OVERSIGHT TO TAKE ON GOVERNMENT TELEWORK IN 1ST HEARING OF NEW CONGRESS

California Attorney General Rob Bonta talks about efforts to combat hate crimes in California. (Mindy Schauer/Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

The buyout offer was made after Trump mandated all federal employees to return to the office. The email to federal workers noted that the majority of federal employees who have worked remotely since COVID will be required to return to their physical offices five days a week.

“The government-wide email being sent today is to make sure that all federal workers are on board with the new administration’s plan to have federal employees in office and adhering to higher standards,” a senior administration official previously told Fox News. “We’re five years past COVID and just 6 percent of federal employees work full-time in office. That is unacceptable.”

In a letter to its members, the AFGE noted that the program doesn’t guarantee that the employee’s resignation will be accepted or that the benefits will be paid.

In a statement last week, NFFE National President Randy Erwin said the buyout shouldn’t be treated as a legitimate offer.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) building in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“This offer from OPM should not be taken seriously,” Erwin said. “The offer is not bound by existing law or policy, nor is it funded by Congress. There is nothing to hold OPM or the White House accountable to the terms of their agreement.”

“Federal employees will not give in to this shady tactic pressuring them to quit,” added Erwin. “Civil servants care way too much about their jobs, their agency missions, and their country to be swayed by this phony ploy. To all federal employees: Do not resign.”

February 3, 2025