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Roughly 20,000 federal employees have accepted the Trump administration’s buyout offer, allowing them to resign while continuing to receive their salaries and benefits through September.
Some shit you should know before you read: Shortly after taking office, President Trump announced a buyout offer aimed at reducing the size of the federal workforce as part of his administration’s broader government efficiency initiative. The offer, presented in late January, allowed eligible federal employees to voluntarily resign while continuing to receive their full salaries and benefits through September 30. Employees who accepted the deal could take other jobs as long as there was no conflict with federal employment but had to agree not to sue the government. The administration framed the plan as a cost-cutting measure designed to eliminate bureaucracy and improve efficiency.

What’s going on now: First reported by Axios and corroborated by multiple news outlets, roughly 20,000 federal employees—about 1% of the workforce—have accepted the Trump administration’s buyout offer so far. The number is expected to rise significantly in the final days before the February 6 deadline, with White House officials predicting a sharp increase 24 to 48 hours beforehand. The administration initially set a target of reducing the workforce by 5% to 10%, though it remains unclear whether the final resignation numbers will meet that goal.
If the administration succeeds in reaching its goal, officials estimate the buyouts could save American taxpayers close to $100 billion. The plan is part of a broader effort to cut government spending and force employees back into physical offices after years of remote work. President Trump and Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), have stressed that this reduction as a long-overdue reform to eliminate inefficiency in federal agencies.
This all comes as some are raising strong opposition to the buyout offer, with federal employee unions, lawmakers, and legal experts warning that the deal may be misleading and potentially unlawful. Critics argue that the administration lacks the legal authority to unilaterally implement such a large-scale reduction in the federal workforce without congressional approval. In addition, The American Federation of Government Employees and the National Treasury Employees Union have urged workers to be skeptical, arguing that the plan is designed to pressure them into resigning without guaranteed protections.