Thursday is the deadline for 2.3 million federal government workers to accept a buyout from the Trump administration, forfeiting their jobs in exchange for about eight months of pay.This week, the Trump administration clarified its offer, saying while the buyout is supposed to pay people through September, it cannot guarantee paychecks past mid-March when government funding runs out.The impact of the cuts could be felt immediately as agencies like the Veterans Administration, which are already short-staffed, could lose as many as 100,000 nurses.More than 2 million workers received a buyout offer with 85% of them living outside of the Washington, D.C. area.Now, resistance is mounting against the resignation program spearheaded by President Donald Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and led by ally Elon Musk.Grassroots protests erupted Wednesday across the country while a new memo from the Office of Personnel Management pressured employees to accept the buyout and leave or face possible layoffs and furloughs.”We are going line by line when it comes to the federal government’s books,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “This president and his team are making decisions across the board.”Meanwhile, a judge scheduled a hearing Thursday afternoon over a lawsuit from a federal worker to block the scheme. Democratic lawmakers joined the protests, pushing back against the administration’s first round of agency cuts, including a move to shut down the independent foreign aid department, USAID.Democratic senators also filibustered from Wednesday into Thursday, attempting to stall the confirmation of President Trump’s budget nominee Russell Vought.Democrats argue that Vought’s proposals would work to cut social programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. A collaboration with Musk would threaten funding for everything from schools to police departments.The federal government’s 3 million civilian employees make up about 2% of the entire U.S. workforce.
Thursday is the deadline for 2.3 million federal government workers to accept a buyout from the Trump administration, forfeiting their jobs in exchange for about eight months of pay.
This week, the Trump administration clarified its offer, saying while the buyout is supposed to pay people through September, it cannot guarantee paychecks past mid-March when government funding runs out.
The impact of the cuts could be felt immediately as agencies like the Veterans Administration, which are already short-staffed, could lose as many as 100,000 nurses.
More than 2 million workers received a buyout offer with 85% of them living outside of the Washington, D.C. area.
Now, resistance is mounting against the resignation program spearheaded by President Donald Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and led by ally Elon Musk.
Grassroots protests erupted Wednesday across the country while a new memo from the Office of Personnel Management pressured employees to accept the buyout and leave or face possible layoffs and furloughs.
“We are going line by line when it comes to the federal government’s books,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “This president and his team are making decisions across the board.”
Meanwhile, a judge scheduled a hearing Thursday afternoon over a lawsuit from a federal worker to block the scheme.
Democratic lawmakers joined the protests, pushing back against the administration’s first round of agency cuts, including a move to shut down the independent foreign aid department, USAID.
Democratic senators also filibustered from Wednesday into Thursday, attempting to stall the confirmation of President Trump’s budget nominee Russell Vought.
Democrats argue that Vought’s proposals would work to cut social programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. A collaboration with Musk would threaten funding for everything from schools to police departments.
The federal government’s 3 million civilian employees make up about 2% of the entire U.S. workforce.
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