The Donald Trump administration announced a ‘deferred resignation program‘ for federal workers under which they have to decide by February 6 whether they want to resign. If they accept it, they would receive their pay and other benefits till September. This is a move to force the federal workers to come to office which Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency had been harping on. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said this is a popular policy outside of Washington DC and it is not a purge of the people who don’t agree with the president.
“This is a suggestion to federal workers that they have to return to work. And if they don’t, then they have the option to resign. And this administration is very generously offering to pay them for eight months. 6% of the federal workforce in this city actually shows up to work. That’s unacceptable We’re all here at work at the office. There are law enforcement officers and teachers and nurses across the country who showed up to the office today,” Leavitt said.
“People in this city need to do the same. It’s an overwhelmingly popular policy with people outside of Washington DC. The president campaigned on this and his administration is keeping a promise,” she said.
What is ‘deferred resignation program’? All you need to know
- Deferred resignation is available to all full-time federal employees except for military personnel of the armed forces, employees of the US Postal Service, those in positions related to immigration enforcement and national security.
- Employees who accept the program won’t have to work for these eight months.
- Replying to the mail sent by the administration is completely voluntary.
- Employees will have the right to request a rescission of their resignation at any time and the employing agency will review such requests.
- A federal employee on a deferred resignation program can accept a new job.