Washington Attorney General Nick Brown has warned federal workers to be skeptical of President Donald Trump's offer to resign from their position while remaining paid through the end of September.
As he continues efforts to reshape the federal government, Trump has offered more than 2 million federal workers the opportunity to resign from their positions while receiving full pay and benefits through Sept. 30. The order, sent by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management on Jan. 28 with the subject line "Fork in the Road," says workers who choose not to accept the offer can't be given "full assurance regarding the certainty" of their jobs.
According to the order, those who choose to resign by Thursday will continue to receive pay through the end of September. The Office of Personnel Management offered additional information on the program Monday, writing that "The federal workforce is expected to undergo significant near-term changes."
"As a result of these changes (or for other reasons), you may wish to depart the federal government on terms that provide you with sufficient time and economic security to plan for your future — and have a nice vacation," the office wrote in a "Frequently Asked Questions" page.
On Monday, Brown urged "federal employees from Washington state, and federal employees working in our state, to contact their union if they are curious about this so-called buyout offer."
"When I was a U.S. attorney, I saw firsthand the important and needed public services that federal employees provide. These shameless attacks on our federal workforce by a lawless president must stop," Brown said.
The order has sparked skepticism from labor unions, which have warned members that the offer may not be enforceable. The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 800,000 employees across the country, wrote in a "Frequently Asked Questions" page that it was "unclear what recourse, if any, employees might have if the government fails to honor the terms of their deferred resignation."
The union has further warned that the order could face legal challenges, and any federal employee who accepts would be at the "mercy of the administrators of the Program, whose claims contain inconsistencies and lack stated legal underpinning."
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday, Trump said the offer comes as he seeks to reduce the size and scope of the federal government, though he indicated he was unsure how many employees would ultimately accept the offer.
"It could be a lot, it could be a little, we don't know. But we'd love to have them leave," Trump said. "We want them to go into the private sector. It's our dream to have everybody, almost, working in the private sector, not in the public sector."
Trump added that some employees who accept the offer could ultimately be replaced, if needed.
"Everybody's replaceable. And we'll get very good people to replace them if it turns out to be more than we thought," Trump said.
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