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Trump administration offering "deferred resignation" to government workers unwilling to return to office

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The White House expects up to 10% of federal employees to quit in September in a program meant to end work-from-home practices, senior administration officials told CBS News. 

A government-wide email President Trump's aides planned to send Tuesday says employees have until Feb. 6 to decide whether to participate in a "deferred resignation program," which would give federal employees the ability to decide now that they will resign in September.

"If you resign under this program, you 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)," the email states. 

On Wednesday, the Office of Personnel Management clarified that employees who accept the deferred resignation plan would go on administrative leave immediately and would no longer work. They would continue to receive paychecks during regular pay periods, rather than a lump sum payout, OPM officials told CBS News.

There are about 2 million federal government employees across the country, which means that the administration expects that as many as 200,000 may take the government's offer. 

Administration officials said only about 6% of federal employees work full-time in office, but that figure was contradicted by data from the Office of Management and Budget, which reported to Congress in August that 54% of federal employees work fully on-site during all working hours. Another 46% were eligible to telework, and they spent an average of 61% of working hours in office. Only 10% of federal workers were in fully remote positions.

Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, said Tuesday on CNN, "The 2 million employees in the federal government are overwhelmingly left of center." Because Mr. Trump was elected, "it is essential for him to get control of government," establish a process for political appointees and review discretionary spending grants, Miller said.

Federal workers at the State Department and USAID said they had received the email by around 6:40 p.m. ET.

The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal employee union, criticized the program.

"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," said AFGE National President Everett Kelley. "This offer should not be viewed as voluntary. Between the flurry of anti-worker executive orders and policies, 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."

The voluntary program won't be available to personnel in the military, the U.S. Postal Service, immigration enforcement and national security or any positions specifically excluded by their agency, the email says.

Those who take the government's offer would be exempt from any "return to office" requirements but would continue their current work arrangements, get their current pay and existing benefits until their final resignation date. 

The email also describes some of the Trump administration's planned reforms and their effects on the federal workforce.

"The substantial majority of federal employees" working remotely since the pandemic "will be required to return to their physical offices five days a week," the email says, adding that there were plans for "meaningful consolidation" that could result in office relocations for "a number of federal workers."

The message to government workers also said that while some agencies and parts of the military were likely to be expanded, "the majority of federal agencies are likely to be downsized through restructurings, realignments, and reductions in force." As a result, a number of federal employees could be subject to furloughs and reclassification as at-will workers.

OPM told government workers who'd like to remain in their positions, "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 government's personnel office also gave workers the option to send a deferred resignation form letter by replying to its message.

Employees must agree to a "smooth transition" during their remaining time in government, the emails says. 

Editor's note: This story and headline have been updated to clarify the terms being offered to federal employees who chose to resign, and to clarify the number of employees who work remotely.

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