The Impressive Number of Federal Workers Who Have Taken Trump's Buyout Option

President Donald J. Trump made it clear to federal workers: your asses are coming back into the office. No more dilly-dallying on the taxpayer dime—come in or get out. It was simple. He signed an executive order to yank these unproductive, mentally invalid, and overall lazy people back to work. 

It led to a meltdown of sorts within the DC metro area: these workers now must worry about childcare, this, that, and the other. No one cares or feels bad, as tens of millions of working families have dealt with these issues forever. Trump offered these people the deal of the lifetime, too: seven to nine months’ severance if they decide to quit by February 6. So far, at least 20,000 workers have taken that option (via Axios): 

About 20,000 federal workers have accepted the "buyout" offer put forward by the Trump administration last week, a senior administration official tells Axios. 

Why it matters: It's a significant number of people — about 1% of the federal workforce — but still substantially less than the White House's target of 5% to 10%. 

The offer is open through Thursday, meaning the total could rise, despite heavy opposition from unions and others. 

What they're saying: "We expect more to come. If you see what's happening at USAID, it's just one piece of the puzzle," the official said, referring to the rapid restructuring of the federal agency that oversees foreign aid programs. 

Aside from the pace of resignations, the official said, the administration is still trying to implement a hiring freeze. 

It has proven trickier than expected because some agencies are still taking on new workers. 

Catch up quick: The buyout offer entitles federal employees to stop working more or less immediately and continue to be paid through Sept. 30. 

That would be my main criticism, too: not enough people are quitting. Yet, with Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency tasked by Trump to trim the fat and go through all of the government with a fine-toothed comb, rooting out waste and corruption—the aspect of not being in control and unable to waste our money might prove too much for some workers. That should help pad the quitter figures, or at least one can hope. 

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