Federal employees are one of the most powerful union blocs in the nation. But President Donald Trump has a deal for them — either come back to work in the office full time or leave with eight months of severance pay.
On Tuesday, the Office of Personnel Management told federal workers they have a Feb. 6 deadline to make up their minds. If they quit, they’ll get all the pay and benefits they get now until Sept. 30.
Alaska is home to about 15,000 federal workers, excluding military.
“If you choose to remain in your current position, we thank you for your renewed focus on serving the American people to the best of your abilities and look forward to working together as part of an improved federal workforce,” the email to federal workers says.
But that doesn’t mean they can keep their jobs, even if they decide to return to the office to work.
“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 memo advises. It also said, “the federal workforce is expected to undergo significant near-term changes” and that “the majority of federal agencies are likely to be downsized through restructurings, realignments, and reductions in force. These actions are likely to include the use of furloughs and the reclassification to at-will status for a substantial number of federal employees.”
Most federal offices are lightly staffed since the Covid pandemic policies in the Biden Administration allowed workers to work from home. According to Congressman Scott Perry, federal government agencies are using just 12% of the space in their headquarters buildings on average, citing a recent report from the Public Buildings Reform Board. The taxpayers are paying for a “mountain of unused office space,” he said. Not to mention the lapse in productivity and accountability.
The Trump Administration estimates that between 5-10% of federal employees will accept the offer and leave, which could save taxpayers about $100 billion a year.
With a federal workforce (not counting military) of 2.4 million, the federal government provides jobs for about 2% of the U.S. workforce.
