The US administration has announced that all federal employees will be subject to "enhanced standards of suitability and conduct" and warned of potential layoffs, while offering a buyout option to those who decide to leave their jobs by next week - an unprecedented effort to rapidly reduce the size of the US government.
A memo from the Office of Personnel Management, the government's human resources agency, has been distributed to employees by email, stating that those who elect to leave their positions will receive approximately seven months' worth of salary compensation. However, employees must make this decision by February 6.
Donald Trump has established a political reputation on the promise of revolutionizing Washington, and stated his second term would be even more damaging to traditional political norms than the first one was. Nonetheless, the consequences of so many government employees being asked to vacate their roles are proving tricky to forecast.
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The Federal Government employs over three million individuals, ranking it roughly as the 15th largest workforce nationally. Furthermore, it was found through an analysis by the Pew Research Center of data from OPM that the average length of service for a Federal employee closely approximates 12 years.
Even a small portion of the workforce accepting buyouts could send shockwaves through the economy and cause widespread disruptions throughout society, triggering unforeseen and far-reaching implications for the delivery, timeliness, and efficiency of federal services nationwide.
Large numbers of front-line healthcare professionals in the Veterans Affairs, officials who process home loans and small business loans, and contractors in charge of acquiring new military technology may all consider leaving their jobs simultaneously. This could lead to the departure of experienced food safety inspectors and scientists who test the water quality, causing disruptions to various sectors, including air travel and consumer product safety.
In response, Everett Kelley, head of the American Federation of Government Employees union, stated that it should be viewed as an elimination of job opportunities, rather than a voluntary buyout plan, where workers deemed disloyal to the current administration are forced to leave their positions.
The massive removal of career federal employees will have disastrous unintended outcomes, leading to a chaotic situation for Americans who rely on a functioning federal government," Kelley said in a statement. "Given the series of anti-worker executive orders and policies, it is evident that the Trump administration aims to create a hostile work environment where employees cannot stay even if they wish to remain.
According to an emailed memo from OPM, it has identified four new directives that, it says, are being mandated by Trump for the federal workforce going forward - including the requirement that most employees return to working full-time from their offices.
Most federal employees who have worked remotely during the pandemic will now be required to return to their offices five days a week.
The memo also states that Trump "will insist on excellence at every level", and whereas some sectors of the government's workforce may expand under his administration, "The majority of federal agencies are likely to be reduced."
Furthermore, it stipulates that "the federal workforce should consist of employees who are dependable, faithful, trustworthy, and dedicated to achieving excellence in their daily tasks".
As we move forward, employees will be held to higher standards of suitability and conduct," the memo stated. "Employees who engage in unlawful behavior or other misconduct will be given a higher priority for investigation and disciplinary action, which may result in termination.
The e-mailed message includes a "deferred resignation letter" for federal employees who wish to participate in the buyout program.
You will keep all pay and benefits irrespective of your daily workload and will be exempt from all applicable in-person work requirements until September 30, according to this programme's terms.
The email also provides instructions for acceptance, stating: "If you wish to resign: reply to this email from your official government account. Write 'Resign' in the email message body, then click 'send' to confirm."
Local officials have released guidelines for an executive order the president signed on his first day in office for his second term, known as the "Schedule Career/Policy". It supersedes Schedule F, an order the president signed late in his first term, which aimed to reclassify thousands of federal employees and make them advisable appointees without the same employment protections.
Biden rescinded Trump's Schedule F order shortly after taking office in 2021, and his administration then established a new rule last year making it more difficult for many federal employees to be fired.
That move was viewed as a precaution against using a new Schedule F order to implement the primary objectives of Project 2025, a comprehensive plan proposed by a conservative Washington-based think tank to enact a significant reduction in the federal workforce by hiring more conservative personnel and downsizing the overall size of the government.
The policy is intended to streamline operations, but it leaves workers without much chance to resist being let go or reassigned.
The president's administration has issued new guidelines, specifying that agency administrators must identify eligible employees for possible reclassification by a certain deadline. Agency heads are also required to appoint a liaison person by Wednesday and submit initial personnel suggestions within the next 90 days.
"Agencies are invited to submit suggestions on an ongoing basis until the specified date," said Charles Ezell, acting head of OPM.
Perhaps even more striking, the Trump administration's personnel office simply abolished the Biden administration's 2024 regulation to better safeguard federal employees. Monday's memo stated that Trump's new executive order utilized the president's authority "to directly cancel these regulations."
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