Millions of federal workers must decide whether to accept or reject Trump’s buyout offer. What will happen to those who reject the offer?
Would you voluntarily walk away from a career that you have intentionally built and cultivated over decades. This is the dilemma facing many federal career employees. Just nine days ago, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) presented a guidance memo informing federal workers that they need to make a decision whether to voluntarily resign and walk away from their government careers.
Since President Trump and Elon Musk first publicly announced their intention to offer the buyout, employees have been reeling with anxiety, frustration, anger and confusion.
During his campaign, Trump vowed to dismantle federal bureaucracy, restructure vast swaths of agencies and programs and reduce the size of the federal workforce. A necessary component of achieving his goals is a significant reduction in the number of federal employees—hence the buyout offer that the administration wants up to 10% of federal workers to accept. Trump brought on Elon Musk to lead and advise on these efforts via the new advisory office known as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
What happens to federal workers who reject Trump’s buyout offer?
OPM informs that federal workers are under no obligation to accept the buyout offer that Trump has made. This is a personal and voluntary decision that all employees should make considering what’s in their best interest.
It’s important to note the glaring contradiction and gap between what the OPM guidance memo says and what’s being reported and discussed in real time on the ground. The public messaging from President Trump and Elon Musk speaks volumes and indicates that federal workers who reject the buyout offer and refuse to voluntarily resign risk being laid off, furloughed or fired in the near future as a result of ongoing downsizing and restructuring decisions.
What happens to federal workers who fail to respond or who reject the buyout offer?
There is no obligation for federal employees to submit any response at all about the buyout offer. Employees are free to ignore the email about the offer and go about their business as usual. Here’s the specific language from the OPM guidance memo Q & A section.
OPM Question: What happens if employees do not respond to the email or accept deferred resignation?
OPM Answer: Nothing. Employees have no obligation to respond to the email. Accepting deferred resignation is in employees’ sole discretion and is completely voluntary.
Can employees change their minds after accepting Trump’s buyout offer?
No—not without an exception waiver. For most federal workers, it’s now or never on the Trump buyout offer. Federal workers who reject the buyout offer or who fail to resign before the deadline won’t be able to change their minds at a later date. Certainly, federal employees can resign at any point after the buyout deadline, but they won’t have the option to do so under the terms of the buyout. Here’s the specific language from the OPM guidance memo.
OPM Question: If an employee decides after February 6, 2025 that they would like to resign under the terms offered in the January 28, 2025 deferred resignation letter, will they still be allowed to?
OPM Answer: Deferred resignation will generally not be available to those who resign after February 6, 2025. Certain exceptions might be made for employees who were on approved absence for some or all of the period from January 28, 2025 to February 6, 2025.
Exceptions for federal workers who don’t accept the buyout offer because they were on approved leave or otherwise unable to respond.
OPM mentions a few exceptions where federal workers can request more time to make a decision on the buyout offer. In instances where employees were out on approved leave between the date employees were first officially notified about the deferred resignation program (January 28) and the February 6 deadline, an extension may be granted. Here’s the specific language from the OPM guidance memo.
OPM Question: How do we handle employees who were on approved leave during some or all of the period between January 28, 2025 and February 6, 2025 and who, as a result, did not get a sufficient opportunity to evaluate and/or accept the deferred resignation letter?
OPM Answer: Employees who missed the February 6, 2025 deadline due to approved absence for some or all of the period from January 27, 2025 to February 6, 2025 are entitled to request an extension and employing agencies may grant reasonable extensions.”
Can federal workers who accept the buyout offer to resign later rescind their resignation?
Federal workers who first accept the buyout offer and then regret that decision or need to pull their resignations back can make the request; however, the administration reserves the right to deny any request to rescind resignation agreements. This is a case-by-case basis that employees will need to take up with their supervisors and agency leadership personnel. Here’s the specific language from the OPM guidance memo.
OPM Question: If an employee resigns and later changes their mind, will the employee be able to rescind their resignation?
OPM Answer: Employees have the right to request a rescission of their resignation at any time and the employing agency will need to review such recission requests. As noted in the deferred resignation letter, it is the objective of the program to move quickly to consolidate and/or reassign roles and in many cases place employees on administrative leave which would likely serve as a valid reason to deny recission requests.
How much time is left on the buyout clock for federal workers to decide?
Less than nine hours—federal workers have fewer than nine hours to either accept or reject Trump’s buyout offer. Earlier Wednesday morning, reporting was that approximately 20,000 employees had agreed to accept the buyout offer. This number increased to around 40,000 by the end of Wednesday and is expected to spike even higher as the deadline nears.
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