A federal judge on Thursday delayed the deadline for government workers to accept a proposal to resign from the Trump administration as it seeks to slash the size of the federal bureaucracy.
U.S. District Judge George O’Toole Jr. temporarily paused the expiration of the Trump administration’s offer for two million federal workers to quit with pay until September 30. The judge will hear arguments on Monday about the legality of the proposal, which was sent out by the Office of Personnel Management on January 28.
The original deadline for the offer was February 6 and at least 60,000 workers have reportedly already taken up the offer.
“We are grateful to the Judge for extending the deadline so more federal workers who refuse to show up to the office can take the Administration up on this very generous, once-in-a-lifetime offer,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in response to the decision.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) opposes the buyout and is looking to see it blocked, and the organization’s president, Everett Kelley, said he was “pleased” with the judge’s decision.
“We are pleased the court temporarily paused this deadline while arguments are heard about the legality of the deferred resignation program. We continue to believe this program violates the law, and we will continue to aggressively defend our members’ rights,” he said.
The January 28 message from OPM suggested that significant cuts were on the horizon and that it could not guarantee that everyone’s position would still be in place with incoming reforms.
The message sent to the workers was titled “A Fork in the Road,” and discussed four major “pillars” around which the Trump administration planned to build the federal workforce. These pillars included working in an office, focusing on excellence, cutting the size of federal agencies, and increasing standards of conduct.
“If you choose to remain in your current position, we thank you for your renewed focus on serving the American people to the best of your abilities and look forward to working together as part of an improved federal workforce,” the message said. “At this time, we cannot give you full assurance regarding the certainty of your position or agency but should your position be eliminated you will be treated with dignity and will be afforded the protections in place for such positions.”
The Trump administration is looking to actively cut back the scope of the federal bureaucracy and slash wasteful spending and programs.
