The Trump administration’s voluntary buyout program has reached its final day, with over 40,000 federal employees choosing to accept the offer and leave their government positions. The program, administered by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), was made available to more than two million federal employees, excluding those in military, postal, and national security roles. The administration has positioned the buyouts as a necessary step in cutting the size of the government workforce.
The buyouts have impacted a range of federal agencies, including the Department of Education and the Environmental Protection Agency. Some agencies have begun implementing hiring freezes and evaluating whether further structural changes will be needed in the wake of these departures. The administration initially set a target of reducing the federal workforce by as much as 10%, though the final number of resignations has not yet reached that level.
Public sector unions have pushed back against the buyout program, filing lawsuits to challenge its legality. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) has argued that the administration does not have the authority to guarantee severance pay through September without congressional approval. The union has advised members that continued funding for those who accepted the buyouts may depend on Congress approving a new budget extension.
Opponents of public sector unions argue that their main concern is not employee rights but rather maintaining their own influence. Unlike private unions that negotiate with business owners, public unions use collective bargaining to demand higher wages and benefits directly from taxpayers. Some have called for an end to public unions altogether, arguing that government employees should not be able to organize in ways that extract more from taxpayers than originally agreed upon when they accepted their jobs.
In addition to the buyouts, the Trump administration has introduced a hiring freeze and has begun reassessing the structure of several agencies. The Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, has been tasked with identifying areas where further reductions or consolidations could be implemented. Some agencies have already been directed to halt certain programs while awaiting further restructuring decisions.
With today marking the final deadline for buyout acceptance, agencies are now processing the last of the resignations. While the total number of departures is expected to be finalized in the coming days, legal challenges from public sector unions remain ongoing.
