Federal employees could potentially receive buyouts from Trump's proposed plan
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has announced a controversial buyout offer to federal employees, with the acting OPM Director Charles Ezell suggesting that employees put on paid administrative leave could help circumvent Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) caps.
Under the buyout plan, federal workers who accept the offer can continue to telework or work remotely during the "deferred resignation period," which ends on September 30, 2025, unless an earlier resignation date is chosen. Employees who are necessary for transitioning job duties may be placed on administrative leave as soon as those duties are transitioned.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) National President Everett Kelley has condemned the buyout plan, describing it as part of a broader effort to make agencies inhospitable to workers. Kelley suggested that the Trump administration's goal is to turn the federal government into a toxic environment where workers cannot stay even if they want to.
Kelley also warned that purging the federal government of dedicated career federal employees will have vast, unintended consequences that will cause chaos for Americans who depend on a functioning federal government. He stated that the buyout offer frames the administration's effort to end telework for most of the federal workforce, relocate workers, and eliminate programs.
House Republicans are considering whether to increase the cap on VSIP payments to $40,000 as part of budget reconciliation legislation. Currently, VSIP payments are capped at $25,000.
Exemptions exist for immigration and national security jobs, alongside other exclusions laid out by agency leaders. The White House is offering a buyout to federal employees who refuse to comply with President Trump's return to office mandate.
The email announcing the buyout offer was sent via a new email server installed at the OPM this week. However, there is no verified information available about any person sending an email on Thursday evening to all federal employees regarding a salary purchase offer tied to refusal to participate in President Trump's return to office.
The updated story does not repeat earlier facts about the buyout offer, its value, or the conditions for acceptance. The OPM has not responded to requests for comment.
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