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About 75,000 federal employees have accepted the Government’s buyout offer, which closed to new applicants this week and has been given the green light by a federal judge.
The figure, confirmed by the Office of Personnel Management, represents roughly 3.3% of the federal government’s 2.3million workers, falling some way short of the White House’s projection of 5% to 10%.
The buyout program, named “Fork in the Road,” after an initial letter sent to workers outlining the deal, offered eight months of pay and benefits to federal employees who agreed to resign immediately.
It was aimed at reducing the size of the federal workforce, which Trump has criticized as ineffective and biased against his administration. The program’s closure follows a federal judge’s decision earlier Wednesday to lift a temporary pause on the initiative.
Legal battles and program closures
The buyout faced legal challenges from federal employee unions, which argued that the program was coercive and lacked sufficient protections. A federal judge in Massachusetts ruled, however, that the unions did not have standing to challenge the program and that his court did not have jurisdiction to hear their complaint.
The judge subsequently lifted his pause on the buyouts and denied the unions’ request for an injunction, allowing the Trump administration to proceed.
Following the court’s decision, the administration announced that the buyout program would close to new applicants as of 7 p.m. ET Wednesday.
In a statement, the Office of Personnel Management declared, “There is no longer any doubt: the Deferred Resignation Program was both legal and a valuable option for federal employees.”
Unions involved in the lawsuit, including the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents some 800,000 federal workers, expressed disappointment with the ruling. “Today’s ruling is a setback in the fight for dignity and fairness for public servants. But it’s not the end of that fight,” said AFGE president Everett Kelly.
Workforce reductions
The buyouts are part of a broader initiative led by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, which Trump has tasked with reducing federal spending and downsizing the federal bureaucracy. Trump has also instructed federal agencies to prepare for “large-scale reductions in force” if the buyouts fail to achieve significant workforce cuts.
On Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order directing agency heads to draft plans for layoffs. Reductions began Wednesday at the General Services Administration, which manages the federal government’s real estate portfolio, according to Reuters. Sources say some agencies have been instructed to prepare for staff cuts of up to 70%.
Federal employees who chose to remain in their positions are now required to return to in-person work and adhere to new “performance standards” emphasizing reliability, loyalty, and trustworthiness.
The changes are part of broader reforms aimed at increasing “accountability and efficiency” within the federal workforce.
The Trump administration has not ruled out furloughs or additional layoffs if the current workforce reductions are deemed insufficient. The White House has maintained that the buyout program was a necessary step to streamline government operations and reduce spending.
Unions have not yet confirmed whether they will appeal the judge’s decision or pursue other legal actions.
