Approximately 75,000 U.S. federal employees have accepted a deferred buyout program introduced under President Donald Trump’s administration, a spokesperson for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management confirmed late Wednesday.
The buyout is part of Trump’s broader effort to reduce the 2.3 million-strong civilian federal workforce, which he has frequently criticized as inefficient and biased against him.
In addition to the buyout, Trump has directed federal agencies to prepare for substantial staff reductions, with reports suggesting that some agencies have been instructed to cut up to 70% of their workforce. Several agencies have already begun laying off recent hires who lack full job protections.
Unions have urged federal workers not to take the buyout, warning that Trump’s administration cannot be trusted to uphold the terms. The program offers employees their regular salaries and benefits through October without requiring them to work, but its guarantees may be shaky. Current federal spending laws expire on March 14, raising concerns about whether salaries will continue to be funded beyond that date.
In a further effort to trim the federal budget, Trump has appointed billionaire Elon Musk to lead the newly established Department of Government Efficiency.
The department is tasked with scrutinizing payment and personnel records to identify cost-saving measures, aiming to cut $1 trillion from the federal budget, which totaled $6.75 trillion last year. However, salaries for civilian federal workers account for less than 5% of that total.
