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.
Could a “Non-Governmental tax payer” suggest Persons/positions to consider nudging along?? Just asking for a friend.
Cheers, Johnson-Ketchikan
Welcome to the world of the private sector where employment is predicated on performance and dedication to the goals of the company. Why must the federal government tell its employees that for all intents and purposes their employment is not guaranteed? Time to downsize!
The wins just keep coming. Private industry does not have a choice. Return to work or be fired. Why are Federal employees special? Trump should really fire their *sses, but a merciful severance package would also help clear the dead wood and make way for federal employees who want to show up to work and make things happen rather than perpetuate a glacial bureaucracy that does not benefit the citizens and taxpayers they purport to ‘serve.’
What’s missing here is that the feds already have a program in place for re-appropriation of funds to agency finance for fiscal use. Its simple and clean….with no regrets and lawsuits. The president can simply reorganize an agency or not. You don’t have to offer big bucks or anything other than the reorganization.
Could probably downsize the federal workforce by 80% and nobody outside the affected employees would notice.
Sad that the federal workforce and their unions have been reduced to such a burden on society.
Removing a huge segment of the bureaucratic tyranny that rules our lives by fiat would go a long ways toward restoring our personal freedoms that were slowly eroded over the past 40 years. Congress invented all these bureaucracies, and those bureaucracies were allowed to make rules without congressional oversite, due to the complete idiocy of the legislation that created the cesspool in the first place.
Hire me so I can grab this sweet deal.
Ohhh a few days too late.
The hiring freeze was put in place on Jan 20th.
NO SOUP FOR YOU!
Where are the conservatives screaming about the budget? All the spilled beans going to deadbeat government desk pushers? Have they lost their voices? Or are their tongues just heavy with the dirt from Trump’s boots? An estimated 200,000 employees paid for 8 months throughout the federal budget? Any cost estimate on that?
The cost may be high in 2025, but the savings anticipated for the next decade(s) will be enormous. Yeah, this could cost a few billion we do not need to spend, but next year, that is billions we did not spend, and the year after, and the year after that.
are you really that dense?
Reggie, calm down.
The are going to be paid regardless.
Think long term – in 8 months we will realize YUGE (as Trump would say) – saving$ moving forward.
Pay attention, think.
Time for another covid booster shot – boost and boost often…
The same message should be conveyed to local and state government and school districts. Any employees that have become unproductive, unneeded or were hired for “woke” policies such as DEI should be given the opportunity to transition from Didn’t Earn It to merit based. If an employee is unable to perform ALL duties based on a valid essential service position description they should respectfully be dismissed.
.
MLK’s dream that everyone should be judged by their character and not the color of their skin and JFK’s ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country will help right the sinking ship created by the Biden Administration which includes DEI, ESG, invasion at borders, green new steal and other woke policies.
What a bunch of cynical losers. I’ll bet all of you would love to have a Federal job, and would snap it up if offered. You’re jealous of them, and it shows.
And by the way, I know that schadenfreude is in style, but it’s still a bad look.