Implications, backlash, conditions: All about Trump’s deferred resignation offer to US

The newly-formed US government under the second term of President Donald Trump, on Tuesday, offered the federal employees to resign from their posts in exchange of an eight-month severance pay and retaining all the benefits till September this year. The employees have to make a decision by February 6.

What is the offer

Titled ‘Fork in the road’, the e-mail offered a “deferred resignation program” to its employees while outlining the Trump administration’s plans to rework the federal workplaces. The email says that those who will voluntarily resign from the workforce will “retain all pay and benefits regardless of your daily workload and will be exempted from all applicable in-person work requirements until September 30, 2025 (or earlier if you choose to accelerate your resignation for any reason).” For this, they will have to take the decision by February 6.

The memo, however, poses danger for those who do not wish to resign as well by outlining the possibility of future downsizing in the federal government workforce. “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 email reads.

The offer, which beholds the fate of US’ federal employees, was sent to two million of them. However, the offer was not extended to the US military personnel of the armed forces, employees of the US Postal Service, those in positions related to immigration enforcement and national security, and those in any other positions specifically excluded by their employing agency.

According to senior administration officials, up to 10% employees are expected to take up the offer, slashing the workforce by a whopping 200,000 personnel, reported CBS news.

Implications of the acceptance of the offer

Over three million people were employed by the US government as of September 2024, making up for 1.9% of the total civilian workforce, according to the Pew Research Centre, reported news agency AP. A federal employee works for an average tenure of 12 years, said a Pew analysis of data from the US Office of Personnel Management.

The acceptance of the deferred resignation program by even a fraction of the employees could disrupt the delivery, timeliness and effectiveness of federal services to the residents of the US and implementation of government policies, said the report.

If skilled and experienced federal workers resign, it could mean lesser assistance for those in need. According to the AP report, people of the US could lose experienced food inspectors and scientists who test the water supply due to this programme. It could also disrupt everything from air travel and consumer product protections.

Backlash from Unions

The unions of the US federal government employees have not received the email very well and have warned the employees to not fall for it.

The American Federation of Government Employees, which has around 800,000 members, posed questions on the legality of the offer and also whether the US government will be able to uphold its side of the bargain, reported news agency Reuters.

The national president of the AFGE, Everett Kelley, also criticised the move and said it “should not be viewed as voluntary.” She also highlighted that the federal workforce has not expanded much since 1970, however, the population which relies on their services has increased significantly since.

“Purging the federal government of dedicated career civil servants will have vast, unintended consequences that will cause chaos for the Americans who depend on a functioning federal government,” she said.

Another big federal employee union – the National Treasury Employees Union – has also urged its 150,000 employees to reject the offer made by the Trump administration, said the Reuters report.

“Make no mistake: this email is designed to entice or scare you into resigning from the federal government…We strongly urge you not to resign in response to this email,” they told their members.

This article was originally published by a www.hindustantimes.com . Read the Original article here. .