75,000 federal workers accept Trump-Musk buyout offer across US govt: Report

As US President Donald Trump continues with his crackdown on federal agencies, a report suggested that roughly 75,000 federal workers have accepted the buyout he offered. According to The Hill, the figure was confirmed by senior officials in the Trump administration.

Interestingly, the figure came soon after a court rejected a bid by unions to quash the program. The court allowed the government officials to officially close what was known as the Fork in the Road program.

The buyout, under the initiative, provided federal workers with eight months of pay and benefits for those who wished to leave government as President Trump forges ahead with a return to office mandate.

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3.75% of federal employees accepted the deal

The officials noted that the figure represents 3.75 per cent of the nation’s 2 million federal employees – falls short of the projected 5 per cent to 10 per cent of federal employees the White House expected to take the deal.

“OPM is pleased the court has rejected a desperate effort to strike down the Deferred Resignation Program,” the agency said earlier Wednesday.

“This program was carefully designed, thoroughly vetted, and provides generous benefits so federal workers can plan for their futures," it furthered.

The numbers were first reported by Semafor. Unions, on the other hand, had cautioned employees against taking the unusual offer. They argued that several provisions in the accompanying contract contradict promises made by OPM, leaving unclear whether the employee is free to seek outside employment as the agency has claimed.

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Meanwhile, a federal judge rejected union calls to block the program, finding they did not have standing to sue.

“We continue to maintain it is illegal to force American citizens who have dedicated their careers to public service to make a decision, in a few short days, without adequate information, about whether to uproot their families and leave their careers for what amounts to an unfunded IOU from Elon Musk,” American Federation of Government Everett Kelley said in a statement after the court ruling.

With inputs from agencies.