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20,000 US government employees planning to quit after Trump's buyout offer: Report
Over 20,000 employees plan to resign as the Trump administration aims to shrink the government and restructure roles, sparking outrage among civil servants.
Unions representing US government employees filed a lawsuit on Tuesday to block the Trump administration's buyout plan for federal workers, while a US official told Reuters that more than 20,000 federal employees are planning to resign.
The American Federation of Government Employees, along with two other unions, claims the buyout offer is "arbitrary and capricious" and violates federal law, according to the complaint.
Last week, the White House made offers to 2 million full-time civilian federal workers, allowing them to suspend work this week and continue receiving their pay and benefits until 30 September as part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal government.
As per reports, the deadline for accepting the offer is until Thursday.
The unions allege that the administration has not guaranteed funding for the plan and has not considered the potential consequences of mass resignations, particularly how they might affect the government’s ability to function.
The Office of Personnel Management at the White House sent a legal memo to agencies defending the programme’s legality.
Financial support to employees
The programme underwent rigorous legal review and is completely voluntary, the US official stated, adding that it is intended to provide financial support to employees as federal agencies downsize.
Trump is undertaking a significant restructuring of the US government, removing and sidelining hundreds of civil servants in his efforts to reduce the size of the bureaucracy and install more loyalists.
The number of deferred resignations is rising rapidly, the US official said, with the largest surge expected within 24 to 48 hours before Thursday's deadline.
The White House has said it will exempt public safety employees, including air traffic controllers, from its "deferred resignation programme."
Outrage among civil servants
Last week, the administration suggested that government workers in "less productive" roles should leave those jobs in favour of positions in the private sector and even take holidays to "dream destinations," sparking outrage among civil servants.
An internal memo sent to workers states that under the programme, employees will remain on the payroll until September 30, without being required to report for work in person. Additionally, their duties may be reduced or eliminated depending on the situation.
(With inputs from Reuters)
