Over 20,000 federal workers have taken Trump's buyout option so far: Reports

President Trump’s OPM sent the offer to millions of employees last week. The offer allows employees to retain benefits and be paid through September if they agree to opt out by Feb. 6.

Published: February 4, 2025 8:58pm

More than 20,000 federal employees who were offered the federal buyout option by the new Trump administration have taken the offer as of Tuesday, according to news reports.

President Donald Trump’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sent the offer to millions of employees last week. The offer allows employees to retain benefits and be paid through September if they agree to opt out by Feb. 6. 

The offer was part of Trump's efforts to reduce the federal workforce, and comes after he told executive branch departments and agencies to terminate remote work arrangements by next month. The administration predicts the reduction will save U.S. taxpayers up to $100 billion a year.

An unnamed administration official also confirmed that more than 20,000 employees have accepted the offer so far, according to the Epoch Times, and said they expect the biggest surge of acceptances to still be coming.

“On background, I can tell you that the 20,000 number isn’t current," the official said. "The number of deferred resignations is rapidly growing, and we’re expecting the largest spike to come 24 to 48 hours before the deadline."

The administration predicted last week that between 5 and 10% of employees would accept the offer, which could result in over 100,000 people leaving the federal workforce. There are currently more than two million federal employees.

Some unions are encouraging employees to reject the offer, because the Trump administration has not proven it would uphold its promise, which OPM claimed was misinformation. 

“Union leaders and politicians telling federal workers to reject this offer are doing them a serious disservice,” OPM’s director of communications, McLaurine Pinover, told The Epoch Times. “This is a rare, generous opportunity, one that was thoroughly vetted and intentionally designed to support employees through restructuring. 

"Instead of spreading misinformation and using workers as political pawns, they should be making sure federal employees have the facts and freedom to make the best decision for themselves and their families."

The offer was extended to all government employees except for military personnel, those who work in national security and immigration, and postal workers. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.

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