White House says about 75K federal workers accepted ‘deferred resignation’ offer
WASHINGTON — About 75,000 federal employees have accepted the White House’s “deferred resignation” offer to resign but be paid through September, according to a spokesperson for the Office of Personnel Management.
The offer’s deadline closed Wednesday after a federal judge ruled to end a temporary pause to the program.
NBC News cannot independently verify the number of employees who took the White House’s offer.
The number of federal employees who are reported to have taken the offer amounts to less than 5% of the federal workforce. The administration had set a higher expectation, hoping that 5% to 10% of the federal workforce would accept its offer. The number of employees who accepted the offer was first reported by Semafor.
In fiscal year 2023, the attrition rate of the federal workforce was 5.9%, according to the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit organization that promotes government service.
Earlier Wednesday, U.S. District Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. allowed the resignation offer to proceed after having previously issued an order to temporarily halt it. O’Toole said in his ruling Wednesday that the unions that sued to stop the offer did not have the necessary legal standing to bring the case.
The Office of Personnel Management responded to O’Toole’s decision Wednesday, saying it was “pleased the court has rejected a desperate effort to strike down the Deferred Resignation Program.”
“As of 7:00 PM tonight, the program is now closed,” OPM spokesperson McLaurine Pinover said in a statement. “There is no longer any doubt: the Deferred Resignation Program was both legal and a valuable option for federal employees. This program was carefully designed, thoroughly vetted, and provides generous benefits so federal workers can plan for their futures.”
