Over 40,000 federal workers have taken Trump buyout offer—more could jump by midnight deadline

UPDATE: A federal judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's employee buyout measure on Thursday. 

Since the Trump administration sent out an email to nearly every federal employee offering them payment until September if they resign, over 40,000 federal workers have taken the offer. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) set a deadline for late Thursday for employees to decide whether to accept the buyout.

According to the Wall Street Journal, OPM officials said that over 40,000 federal employees have agreed to resign, and they expect that number to rise by the deadline on Thursday at 11:59 pm. The White House anticipated that 5 to 10 percent of federal employees would accept the offer, aiming to cut costs by around $100 billion, but that goal has yet to be met, according to the outlet.

Some uncertainty about whether they will still get the payments until September, along with other details, has reportedly deterred federal employees from taking the buyout offer. Those who are in the military and in national security positions were exempt from the offer, however, the Trump administration has offered a buyout to every employee at the CIA.

The administration has taken several actions thus far to trim down the scope of the federal government, including cutting back at the USAID as well as cutting all DEI-related programs at various government agencies.

The moves from the administration have had some employees also on edge about whether to keep their jobs or take the buyout over the possibility of getting laid off later. OPM has suggested that agencies submit lists of employees in probationary periods, adding to workers’ anxiety and some workers are prepping “virtual go bags” with employment records, thinking they may not have access in the future.

Head of the National Federation of Federal Employees, Randy Erwin, claimed, “The thought of a large percentage of the workforce walking out and leaving the rest to manage something that was already in a lot of cases difficult to manage—it's scary, scary times."

OPM spokesperson McLaurine Pinover said of the buyout, “This is a rare, generous opportunity—one that was thoroughly vetted and intentionally designed to support employees through restructuring.”