Millions of federal government employees offered buyouts

President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday sent a memo to millions of federal government workers offering payouts if they resign from their posts. Any individual choosing to resign will receive full pay and benefits until the end of September, according to the memo. To take the deal, the employees needed only to respond to the email or write to the Human Resources office of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Federal employees have until Feb. 6 to respond.

Why is the Trump administration offering this buyout to employees?

• While some agencies and branches of the military were looking to increase the size of their workforce, most government agencies were looking to downsize, according to the memo.

• Employees now have to meet higher standards for work performance, conduct in the workplace, and professional qualifications, according to the memo.

• Also, employees going ahead now need to appear in the office five days a week. The work-from-home culture created during the COVID-19 pandemic was coming to an end, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management wrote in its memo.

• Additionally, many federal offices will be relocating, according to the administration.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about how Trump has ordered the United States to develop an Iron Dome-level missile defense system.