WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it would begin subjecting all federal employees to “enhanced standards of suitability and conduct” and warned of future downsizing, while offering buyouts to those who opt to leave their jobs by next week — an unprecedented move to dramatically shrink the U.S. government at breakneck speed.
A memo from the Office of Personnel Management, the government’s human resources agency, was emailed to employees and says that those who leave their posts voluntarily will receive about seven months of salary. But they have to chose to do so by Feb 6.
President Donald Trump has built a political career around promising to disrupt Washington, and promised that his second administration would go far further in shaking up traditional political norms than his first term in office did. Still, the repercussions of so many government workers being invited to leave their jobs were difficult to calculate.
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The federal government employs more than 3 million people, which makes it roughly the 15th largest workforce in the nation. The average tenure for a federal employee is 11.8 years, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Center of data from OPM.
Even a fraction of the workforce accepting buyouts and leaving could send shockwaves through the economy and trigger widespread disruptions throughout society as a whole, triggering wide-ranging — and as yet unknowable — implications for the delivery, timeliness and effectiveness of federal services across the nation.
Untold numbers of front-line health workers in the Veterans Affairs Department, officials who process loans for new homes or small businesses, and contractors who help procure the next generation of military weaponry could all head for the exits at once. The move could also mean losing experienced food inspectors and scientists who test the water supply while disrupting air travel and product liability protections.
In response to the buyout offer, American Federation of Government Employees union President Everett Kelley said it should not be viewed as voluntary but as a way to pressure workers not considered loyal to the new administration to vacate their jobs.
“Purging the federal government of dedicated career federal employees will have vast, unintended consequences that will cause chaos for the Americans who depend on a functioning federal government,” Kelley said. He further warned that the Trump administration actions will “cause chaos” for Americans who depend on the federal government and trigger “vast, unintended consequences.”
In its emailed memo detailing its plan, OPM lists four directives that it says Trump is mandating for the federal workforce going forward — including that most workers return to their offices full-time.
“The substantial majority of federal employees who have been working remotely since Covid will be required to return to their physical offices five days a week,” it reads. That echoes Trump, who said of federal employees over the weekend: “You have to go to your office and work. Otherwise you’re not going to have a job.”
It also says Trump “will insist on excellence at every level,” and that while some parts of the government’s workforce may increase under his administration, “The majority of federal agencies are likely to be downsized.”
Finally, the ”federal workforce should be comprised of employees who are reliable, loyal, trustworthy, and who strive for excellence in their daily work.”
“Employees will be subject to enhanced standards of suitability and conduct as we move forward,” the email reads. “Employees who engage in unlawful behavior or other misconduct will be prioritized for appropriate investigation and discipline, including termination.”
The message includes a “deferred resignation letter” for federal employees wishing to participate in the buyout program, which began Tuesday “and is available to all federal employees until February 6.”
“If you resign under this program, you will retain all pay and benefits regardless of your daily workload and will be exempted from all applicable in-person work requirements until September 30,” it says.
The email even includes instructions on how to accept, stating: “Upon review of the below deferred resignation letter, if you wish to resign: Select ‘Reply’ to this email. You must reply from your government account.”
It adds: “Type the word ‘Resign’ into the body of this email and hit ‘send.’”
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Associated Press writers Zeke Miller in Washington and Brian Witte in Annapolis, Maryland, contributed to this report.
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