WASHINGTON, D.C. (The Washington Post) — The clock on Wednesday was already quickly winding down on a Trump administration offer to federal employees to resign with pay through Sept. 30, as a mother worried about being fired while her husband, also a federal employee, searches for a new job of his own.
A national park ranger was concerned that parks staff, already stretched thin, will be stretched even further if colleagues leave and openings go unfilled. And a Health and Human Services attorney lamented over potentially leaving what she had believed was “a secure job” she loves.
They are among the thousands of federal workers caught in limbo amid a flurry of steps taken by the Trump administration to remake and shrink the ranks of the federal workforce. Tuesday’s email blast from the Office of Personnel Management that gave them until Feb. 6 to make a decision on whether to voluntarily leave represented the latest source of anger and confusion as they continue to do their jobs.
The offer and its timeline before life-altering decisions had to be made — a mere nine days — fueled vows from federal workers to resist what they see as an attempt to push them out of careers rooted in public service, while others expressed an overwhelming sense of exhaustion 10 days into the Trump presidency.
“We open our inbox every day, and it’s just a parade of terrible announcements making our jobs harder,” said Rachel, who works in the Department of Health and Human Services office of the secretary and spoke on the condition that only her middle name was used to avoid professional retribution.
“I’m afraid we’re going to lose all our best workers,” she said. “There just won’t be the institutional knowledge we need to help keep patients safe.”
According to the White House, most of the 2.3 million federal workers are eligible for the buyout incentive. Agency heads may make exceptions, and military personnel, U.S. Postal Service employees, and people working in immigration enforcement and national security are exempt, according to the Office of Personnel Management.
Democratic lawmakers and unions began advising workers late Tuesday not to take it, with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) warning on the Senate floor that Trump could “stiff you.”
A federal employment attorney, however, said the Trump administration probably has the authority to carry out the offer, though he anticipates litigation.
“We’ve been getting a surge of calls since last night from federal employees with a lot of questions about: What does it mean, can it be rescinded, is it lawful?” said Greg Rinckey, a founding partner at the law firm Tully Rinckey PLLC who specializes in federal employment law.
Based on the conversations he’s had with workers, he expects 5 to 10 percent to take the offer, Rinckey said.
“For some of them, it’s a no-brainer,” he said. “If they’re telling us that they’re having problems on [a performance improvement plan], I’m telling them to take this in a heartbeat, because they’re probably going to be removed.”
