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The clock on Wednesday was already quickly winding down on a Trump administration offer to federal employees to resign with pay through Sept. 30, as a mother worried about being fired while her husband, also a federal employee, searches for a new job of his own.
A national park ranger was concerned that parks staff, already stretched thin, will be stretched even further if colleagues leave and openings go unfilled. And a Health and Human Services attorney lamented over potentially leaving what she had believed was “a secure job” she loves.
They are among the thousands of federal workers caught in limbo amid a flurry of steps taken by the Trump administration to remake and shrink the ranks of the federal workforce. Tuesday’s email blast from the Office of Personnel Management that gave them until Feb. 6 to make a decision on whether to voluntarily leave represented the latest source of anger and confusion as they continue to do their jobs.
The offer and its timeline before life-altering decisions had to be made - a mere nine days - fueled vows from federal workers to resist what they see as an attempt to push them out of careers rooted in public service, while others expressed an overwhelming sense of exhaustion 10 days into the Trump presidency.
“We open our inbox every day, and it’s just a parade of terrible announcements making our jobs harder,” said Rachel, who works in the Department of Health and Human Services office of the secretary and spoke on the condition that only her middle name was used to avoid professional retribution.
“I’m afraid we’re going to lose all our best workers,” she said. “There just won’t be the institutional knowledge we need to help keep patients safe.”
According to the White House, most of the 2.3 million federal workers are eligible for the buyout incentive. Agency heads may make exceptions, and military personnel, U.S. Postal Service employees, and people working in immigration enforcement and national security are exempt, according to the Office of Personnel Management.
Democratic lawmakers and unions began advising workers late Tuesday not to take it, with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) warning on the Senate floor that Trump could “stiff you.”
A federal employment attorney, however, said the Trump administration probably has the authority to carry out the offer, though he anticipates litigation.
“We’ve been getting a surge of calls since last night from federal employees with a lot of questions about: What does it mean, can it be rescinded, is it lawful?” said Greg Rinckey, a founding partner at the law firm Tully Rinckey PLLC who specializes in federal employment law.
Based on the conversations he’s had with workers, he expects 5 to 10 percent to take the offer, Rinckey said.
“For some of them, it’s a no-brainer,” he said. “If they’re telling us that they’re having problems on [a performance improvement plan], I’m telling them to take this in a heartbeat, because they’re probably going to be removed.”
An employee of the National Institutes of Health said she and her colleagues felt “ill” and had “chills down their spine” in reaction to a portion of the letter that said workers should be “loyal.”
“Loyal to what?” said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution. “[Elon] Musk? Trump?”
“Everyone that I’ve spoken with, they think it’s a trap,” she said. “They’re going to have you respond yes, and then if you did, they’re going to just fire you.”
The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union representing federal workers, said Tuesday that the offer “should not be viewed as voluntary.”
“It is clear 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,” AFGE President Everett Kelley said in a news release, which also warned of “vast, unintended consequences that will cause chaos for the Americans who depend on a functioning federal government.”
What federal workers should know about the Trump administration’s ‘deferred resignation’ offer
After initial confusion about whether people who accept the offer would continue to work through September, the “Department of Government Efficiency,” run by billionaire Elon Musk, sought to entice workers into taking the deal by characterizing it as an opportunity to loaf.
“Can take the vacation you always wanted, or just watch movies and chill, while receiving your full government pay and benefits,” the DOGE account on Musk’s social media platform X said in a post Wednesday.
That was the carrot in the offer. A not-so-veiled threat came in Tuesday’s email, which said “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.”
Musk team’s push to gut the federal workforce with buyouts bypassed key Trump officials
As employees considered their options - discussing plans with their partners after work, commiserating with their colleagues in group chats - some took to social media to express defiance.
On a Reddit forum for federal employees, users circulated a meme of Leonardo DiCaprio’s character from “The Wolf of Wall Street” shouting, “I’m not [expletive] leaving!”
“I’ll be honest, before that email went out, I was looking for any way to get out of this fresh hell,” wrote one user on Tuesday evening. “But now I am fired up to make these goons as frustrated as possible.”
The user added, “Hold the line!” The post drew more than 30,000 likes.
“I love my job and I find my job important to the American people and if I leave, I’ll have to be fired,” a Federal Emergency Management Agency employee told The Washington Post on the encrypted messaging app Signal. “I feel a lot of us feel that way - we’re called to serve! The work is more than getting paid.”
The employee added, “I also am hesitant to accept this letter because there will be lots of people with my skill set all looking for new work at the same time and that doesn’t bode well for finding new work!”
An analyst with the Internal Revenue Service who said she has been with the federal government for more than 15 years similarly vowed to stay, saying she doesn’t see hope for work in the private sector.
“I really do like my job and I am proud of my work,” she said, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. “I think I make a difference.”
Plus, she added, “I think we’re heading for a recession.”
She paused. “I just hope others can stick this out, too. And that it ends in our favor.”
The National Treasury Employees Union warned that a massive federal government worker exodus will hurt the country.
“Would there be fewer FDA employees to inspect food processing facilities or drug manufacturers? Would there be fewer IRS employees to answer taxpayer questions? Would there be fewer FDIC employees to audit banks and make sure they are financially sound?” the union said in a statement. “The answer to all of those is yes, as well as thousands of other important public services. Let’s be clear: This is not about ‘efficiency,’ this is about eliminating vital civil servants and the contributions they make to the American public.”
Amid the outrage and uncertainty, some workers described a muddy path ahead as they mull whether to stick with the jobs they enjoy and chance it or try for a new chapter in their professional lives by looking for work elsewhere.
“I’m trying to hold out,” said the Health and Human Services attorney who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid retribution. “But the fear of being fired feels very real.”
A federal employee since 2017, she said she was drawn to the work to serve the public as well as for the benefits and flexibility her employer seemed to offer.
Now, she feels a growing sense of hostility toward her and fellow federal workers.
“We’re just people taking care of our families,” she said, her voice tinged with exhaustion. “We’re not trying to steal from taxpayers. We’re also taxpayers.”