The White House is firing back at Democrats and union bosses who urged federal employees not to take a ‘buyout’ currently on the table for millions of workers.
Last month, Donald Trump announced an offer that would allow government workers to resign and continue to be paid through September 30.
So far, around 20,000 have accepted it out of two million, Axios reported Tuesday.
The Trump White House wants to reduce the federal workforce by between 5 and 10 percent.
But the ‘Deep State’ American Federation of Government Employees union is warning the offer could be a ‘trick’ and Democrats have slammed it as ‘scam.’
The union claims Trump and DOGE leader Elon Musk may not have the authority to make such an offer – meaning federal employees who quit might not get paid out.
Democrats including top lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee Reps. Jamie Raskin and Gerry Connolly have called the offer an ‘illegal scam’ and demanded Trump rescind it immediately.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has also been vocal against Trump’s plans, including the buyout and the federal funding freeze he called ‘evil.’
‘The American people will not stand for an un-elected secret group to run rampant through the executive branch,’ Schumer said about DOGE on Tuesday.
‘Being innovative is good, but Mr. Musk, this isn’t a tech startup. These are public institutions.’
But the Trump administration’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM) pushed back on those fears in a statement to DailyMail.com.
Union bosses and Democratic lawmakers have warned federal employees that DOGE leader Elon Musk (left) and President Donald Trump (right) may not have the legal authority to pay workers through September – encouraging them not to take the ‘buyout’
‘Union leaders and politicians telling federal workers to reject this offer are doing them a serious disservice,’ spokeswoman McLaurine Pinover said. ‘This is a rare, generous opportunity – one that was thoroughly vetted and intentionally designed to support employees through restructuring.’
Pinover added: ‘Instead of spreading misinformation and using workers as political pawns, they should be making sure federal employees have the facts and freedom to make the best decision for themselves and their families,’ she added.
Katie Miller, the wife of top Trump aide Stephen Miller, who is now working on an advisory board for DOGE, confirmed that the buyout email was being sent out to ‘more than TWO MILLION federal employees.’
The Washington Post reported Tuesday on an email sent to employees of the General Services Administration saying that layoffs across the federal government are ‘likely.’
The OPM memo also warned that it would be subjecting federal employees to ‘enhanced standards of suitability and conduct’ and gave notice to the workforce that there would be additional downsizing down the line.
This wording gave union leadership pause.
‘Purging the federal government of dedicated career federal employees will have vast, unintended consequences that will cause chaos for the Americans who depend on a functioning federal government,’ AFGE union President Everett Kelley said.
‘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,’ he said.
Others warned that the buyout deal might not stick.
‘There’s no budget line item to pay people who are not showing up for work,’ said Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine during a Senate floor speech last week. ‘Don’t be fooled. He’s tricked hundreds of people with that offer.’
Protesters stand outside the White House and encourage federal workers not to take the administration’s ‘buyout,’ in which they would quit by Thursday and be paid through the end of September
‘If you accept that offer and resign, he’ll stiff you just like he stiffed the contractors,’ Kaine said.
An OPM source countered that claim saying the Deferred Resignation Program was ‘not a hastily assembled program.’
‘It has undergone extensive legal review by experts in the field to ensure fairness and compliance,’ the source said. ‘This is a rare opportunity – not a buyout or a loophole – but a deliberate effort to provide employees with financial stability as agencies adjust their workforce.’
Thursday is the deadline for federal employees to decide.