Posted on 01/31/2025 3:04:18 PM PST by Twotone
Government workers are reeling after President Donald Trump’s administration presented a “payout” to federal employees refusing to return to the office on a full-time basis.
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sent an email to millions of government employees on Tuesday, offering eight months of pay if they resigned by Feb. 6. In response, federal employees and Democratic representatives have lodged anonymous complaints to media outlets.
This followed Trump’s executive order forcing government workers to return to the office on a full-time basis on Jan. 20. “It was the batshit craziest email I’ve ever read,” one anonymous employee told POLITICO’S E&E News. “They’re gonna have to take me out kicking and screaming.” “It’s just not happening,” said one United States Department of Energy worker.
“There’s no way I’m sending ‘Resign’ to this jinky email address,” another staffer said. “I don’t care what you throw at me,” one U.S. National Science Foundation worker said, noting that they were “more angry now” and they were “not going to quit.”
Politico recorded many other grievances from the workers, who called the offer “insulting,” “perplexing … and dangerous” and an attempt to “dismantle the government.”
“This is STRAIGHT from the pages of Project 2025,” Democratic Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett wrote on X, Newsweek reported. “Trump is offering a fake ‘buyout’ to federal workers with no guarantee he won’t screw them the minute they accept — and then replace them with unqualified, inexperienced loyalists the second they leave.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the legitimacy of the offer on Wednesday, according to NBC News, stating that if government employees “don’t want to work in the office and contribute to making America great again, then they are free to choose a different line of work, and the Trump Administration will provide a very generous payout of 8 months.”
It’s estimated that 5-10% of government workers will take Trump’s offer, according to NBC and Axios.
It is a “common setup” for federal employees to work from home three days a week, according to NPR. One federal staffer told the outlet that after her commute she is “just so brain dead” and she “cannot imagine trying to get in the car and go in a third day.”
Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa released a report on Dec. 5. highlighting the issues with government employees working remotely. “Bureaucrats have been found in a bubble bath, on the golf course, running their own business, and even getting busted doing crime while on taxpayers’ time,” the document states.
Federal employee buyouts are not new or exclusive to Republican leadership. Former President Bill Clinton signed a similar bill back in 1994, The New York Times reported. Its aim was to cut the government workforce back by 12%, to 1.88 million.
There were 2.4 million federal employees at the start of 2025, according to Pew Research Center.
What a bunch of WHINING CRYBABIES.
So much drama from these ungrateful, entitled lazy butts.
Come back to the office and risk being fired for not showing up.
Yeah, that’ll show America.
You were offered a severance package.
You declined.
You’re fired.
Trump is not going to want the bad press of backing out of the deal. Why would he do that? It’s better than nothing by a long shot. Take it, you big babies.
When the early retirement offers come out, Mrs. VanShuyten will be first in line.
Resign. Find a new job that will offer her a better commute.
Go to work or not go to work. Man, the perfect storm.
It’s estimated that 5-10% of government workers will take Trump’s offer, according to NBC and Axios
Or less mental strain, obviously. I commuted for 42 years, mostly car, sometimes train. Only anxiety I had was avoiding lousy drivers. Sheesh.
The days of severance packages when your company got bought out have been gone for non-golden parachute top private workers since I don’t know how long, when was Chainsaw Al going around, mid 90s?
These guys just got bought up and are getting cleaned out now.
In response, federal employees and Democratic representatives have lodged anonymous complaints to media outlets.
If I understand this correctly, nobody is being forced to resign. They are being offered a buyout that they can accept or decline. Those who decline the buyout and choose to stay will be “punished” by being forced to actually show up at the office rather than work from home. Life is tough.
They don’t have to take the offer. But refusing the offer doesn’t mean they won’t be fired after Feb 6th.
Do you want door number 1 or door number 2?
Well, no - that would be Democrat-style political patronage - and how many of those Federal workers got there in the first place. Trump doesn't hand out jobs for votes.
Good these sort of irrational hysterics will end up getting fired so they will lose their job and not get a buyout
Yeah, ‘punished’ by being forced into 5 day a week office (or field) work. They should be honest with themselves about whether they will hold up their end. If not, take the buyout. If yes, go to work. But, in due time many positions will be replaced with AI so again, think carefully.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.