(NewsNation) — The number of federal employees who have agreed to accept buyouts to leave their jobs is “rapidly growing,” and officials with the Office of Personnel Management expect that number to spike significantly as this week’s deadline for a final decision approaches, NewsNation has learned.
The Trump administration announced last week that employees who leave their jobs by a Feb. 6 deadline would receive eight months of salary. A spokesperson for OPM told NewsNation that the agency expects to see the largest surge in the number of workers accepting the buyout within 24 to 48 hours before the Thursday deadline.
Bloomberg reported Tuesday that 20,000 employees, which represent about 1% of the federal workforce, have signed up for the deferred resignations. Although the number is growing each day, the OPM spokesperson told NewsNation that the 20,000 figure is not up to date and that the agency expects the largest spike of resignations to come in the next two days.
The buyout is being offered in an effort to shrink the government.
NewsNation obtained a memo from OPM officials that was sent on Tuesday to the heads of departments and agencies regarding the legality of the deferrred resignation program.
In it, officials said that those who are eligible will not “generally be expected to work” during the eight months and may look for another job during the time they continue to be paid. Those employees will also be exempt from any reductions-in-force that are planned from the federal workforce, the memo says.
Those employees will also retain all pay and benefits regardless of their daily workload and will be exempt from in-person requirements until Sept. 30.
The assurances outlined in the agreement are legally binding, the memo states, adding “Were the government to backtrack on its commitments, an employee would be entitled to request a rescission of his or her resignation.
The memo also states that no congressional approval is required for the deferred resignations.
The report indicated that President Donald Trump and billionaire CEO Elon Musk, who oversees the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), hope that as much as 10% of the federal workforce accepts the buyout.
There are currently 2.3 million civilian federal employees, the report indicated. However, more than half of those employees who hold roles in civilian defense and intelligence employees, as well as law enforcement personnel and postal workers, are not eligible for the buyout, the Bloomberg report indicated.
The federal government employed more than 3 million people as of November last year, which accounted for nearly 1.9% of the nation’s entire civilian workforce, according to the Pew Research Center. The average tenure for a federal employee is nearly 12 years, according to a Pew analysis of data from OPM.
The Associated Press contributed reporting to this story.
