According to The New York Post, several federal employees have reportedly agreed to take up the Trump administration’s severance package, which includes eight months ‘ worth of pay and benefits for leaving their positions in government.
About 20, 000 federal employees have accepted the deal, comprising less than 1 % of the entire federal employees, according to Forbes ‘ Tuesday statement. ” I can tell you the 20K amount isn’t present, the number of deferred defections is fast growing, and we’re expecting the largest rise 24 to 48 hours before the deadline”, a White House official told The Post.
The White House wants to reduce the federal workforce by 5 % to 10 %, with staff members having until Thursday to choose whether or not to vote for the proposal.
At least 2.3 million national staff members are thought to be included in the compensation package. If the administration is successful in achieving its acceptance rate target of 5 % to 10 %, it anticipates savings of nearly$ 100 billion in taxes. Although it’s not known how numerous package recipients had previously planned to leave their jobs, the average annual departure rate for federal employees is approximately 6 %.
Elon Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), had previously suggested the possibility of a severance package during the final stages of the 2024 campaign and subsequent weeks. Working alongside Musk, President Trump has been eager to substantially restructure and reduce the size of the federal government.
Some critics argue that a considerable staff reduction may require parliamentary approval, and that the legality of these severance offers is questionable. Public sector organisations have warned their users against accepting the offer.
The American Federation of Government Workers, the largest national federation, advised its users:” Employees should never take the Plan at face value. The eligibility criteria are ambiguous, and it’s also unclear whether OPM [Office of Personnel Management ] has the legal authority to back up the Program or its alleged benefits.
