Trump’s Buyout Plan Pushes Federal Workers Toward Private Sector Jobs

The Trump administration is advancing its push to reduce the federal workforce, offering buyouts to government employees as part of an effort to streamline operations and cut bureaucratic waste. Federal workers have until Feb. 6 to accept the offer, which would grant them approximately eight months of salary upon resignation.

An email sent by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) outlined the details of the initiative, stressing that private sector jobs often offer better pay than government positions. The buyout is available to all full-time federal employees except those in immigration enforcement, national security, or the military. Those who accept will continue receiving government pay for months before fully leaving their positions.

During the pandemic, federal employees were given expanded telework privileges, many of which continued well past the emergency. A Senate investigation found that only 6% of federal employees were working full-time in their offices, leaving federal buildings in Washington, D.C., operating at just 12% capacity. President Donald Trump’s administration has sought to end remote work policies and require employees to return in person.

The buyout program is designed to accelerate this process. Workers who reject the offer will be required to return to their offices full-time. The memo sent to employees made clear that agencies would be downsized and that “employees will be subject to enhanced standards of suitability and conduct as we move forward.”

Some union officials, including American Federation of Government Employees leader Everett Kelley, have criticized the initiative. Kelley called the buyouts an attempt to force out employees who may not align with the administration’s policies. Meanwhile, conservatives see this as a long-overdue effort to curb a federal workforce that has grown too large and inefficient.

Federal employment has steadily increased over the years, with non-military government employees now exceeding 3 million. Nearly 20% of these workers are based in Washington, D.C., and the surrounding area. California, Texas, and Florida also have large concentrations of federal employees, though they make up less than 1% of each state’s nonfarm workforce.