How Many Federal Workers Accepted Trump’s Buyout Offer To Resign So Far?

With less than two days left, how many federal workers have already said yes to President Trump’s buyout? How many have accepted the offer to resign?

As the February 6 deadline looms, some federal workers have already accepted the deferred resignation buyout plan. In exchange for voluntarily resigning employment with the federal government, federal workers have been told via an email memo that they would immediately enter “deferred resignation” status.

Deferred resignation status sets up an arrangement where federal workers who resign by Thursday will continue to be paid their salaries and receive full benefits through September 30, 2025.

How many federal workers have accepted Trump’s buyout offer so far?

The deferred resignation email was sent to approximately two million federal workers last week. As of Tuesday, reporting is that an estimated 20,000 employees have decided to opt in and accept the buyout. The Trump administration’s buyout offer amounts to a severance package of sorts given that federal workers who resign will no longer be required to report to work and will not have any obligation to perform the duties and responsibilities of their jobs.

In exchange for resigning, federal workers have been told they will continue to be paid their full salary and benefits for more than seven additional months.

These employees will technically still be employed by the federal government, remaining on the books until September 30 of this year. However, the resignation notice they send will become irrevocable. Federal workers who resign will be released from all the normal obligations of their jobs.

This 20,000 number is about 1% of the federal workforce—a figure that’s significantly smaller than what the Trump administration had hoped. Initial expectations were that between 5% and 10% (up to 200,000) of the approximately 2.3 million federal workers would accept the buyout offer to voluntarily resign.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) informs that the buyout is optional for all full-time federal employees, “except for military personnel of the armed forces the U.S. Postal Service, positions related to immigration enforcement and national security, and any other positions specifically excluded by your employing agency.”

What happens after federal workers accept Trump’s buyout and resign?

According to the Trump administration, after federal workers accept the buyout, they are free to do whatever they want, including take on second jobs, watch movies or travel for holiday or vacation. In an attempt to increase the numbers of employees who accept the buyout, the administration has been publicly advising federal workers to take the buyout and travel to their “dream destination.”

OPM put out guidance regarding the deferred resignation (buyout) program which clarifies that federal workers will no longer be obligated to perform the duties of their jobs.

“Employees who accept deferred resignation should promptly have their duties re-assigned or eliminated and be placed on paid administrative leave until the end of the deferred resignation period (generally, September 30, 2025, unless the employee has elected another earlier resignation date), unless the agency head determines that it is necessary for the employee to be actively engaged in transitioning job duties, in which case employees should be placed on administrative leave as soon as those duties are transitioned.”

Those who resign will be free to use their time however they choose. But, given that these workers will no longer receive a paycheck after September 30, it would be reasonable to expect that many will begin job searching to ensure they have an income and benefits before their federal salaries end. Others, who are eligible to retire, may move forward with retirement and consider their careers fulfilled.

Surely, some—if not all—federal workers who accept the buyout will be paying attention to whether or not the government continues to be funded and any implications that could arise from the deferred resignation arrangement given that many are saying that this isn’t legal and that there are no guarantees that these employees will continue to be paid after submitting resignations.

How much time is left for federal workers to decide about the buyout?

The remaining workers (the vast majority) have less than two days left to decide. There are many factors to consider with a decision like this. Many of these employees have worked for the federal government for decades and invested a lot into the careers. Many had no plans or thoughts of leaving their jobs prior to the Trump administration’s buyout offer.

This decision to resign or stay may be a very difficult one for employees. What they are experiencing, seeing and hearing within the government and in the media is causing anxiety, frustrations and uncertainty. Many are seeking out advice and guidance to make the best decision they can.

Political, legal and economic voices are weighing in. While some support this method of reducing federal government, many others are fully against it, questioning everything from the legalities of the buyout to the government not yet being authorized or funded to support such an arrangement. Congressional leaders and union leaders are strongly urging federal workers to reject Trump’s buyout offer.

What happens to the federal workers who don’t accept Trump’s buyout offer?

OPM guidance says that nothing will happen to federal workers who decline to take the buyout offer. Federal employees have been told that accepting the buyout is voluntary and that they are under no obligation to respond to or agree to be included in the deferred resignation program.

However, public messaging from the Trump administration—and from President Trump himself—is such that federal workers who decline the buyout could risk being laid off of their jobs in the very near future. President Trump and Elon Musk have made it explicitly clear that the goal is to reduce the size of government, and they openly encourage employees to accept the buyout and voluntarily resign by February 6.

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