The Trump administration warned federal workers Tuesday that the “majority” of government agencies will be downsized and that a buyout offer extended last week will not be renewed.
The so-called “Deferred Resignation” program offers more than 2 million federal employees unwilling to comply with a return to office mandate about eight months of pay and benefits if they resign before midnight on Thursday.
“There will NOT be an extension of this program,” read an email to government workers from the Office of Personnel Management.
OPM further warned workers choosing to stay put that they should expect changes under President Trump’s leadership “built around four pillars.”
“While a few agencies and even branches of the military are likely to see increases in the size of their workforce, the majority of federal agencies are likely to be downsized through restructurings, realignments, and reductions in force,” OPM noted.
“These actions are likely to include the use of furloughs and the reclassification to at-will status for a substantial number of federal employees,” the agency added.
OPM argued that the planned downsizing will result in a “more streamlined and flexible” government workforce.
The agency also notified government workers that they shouldn’t be surprised by “consolidation and divestitures” that could result in “physical office relocations for a number of federal workers.”
Government employees can also expect “enhanced standards of conduct” and a workplace culture structured around “performance” moving forward, OPM said.
The Trump administration is projecting that between 5% and 10% of the federal workforce will accept the buyout and believes that could save taxpayers close to $100 billion.
Axios first reported Tuesday that close to 20,000 federal workers had accepted the offer, an amount representing less than 1% of government personnel.
However, a White House official told The Post Tuesday that the 20,000 figure wasn’t current and that the number of resignations is expected to spike 24 to 48 hours before the deadline.