The Trump administration has come under fire for dismissing a dozen independent federal government watchdogs, including Gwynne Wilcox, a senior official at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) has strongly criticized this move. In a broader strategy, the administration seeks to downsize the federal workforce and cut trillions in spending, as outlined in Project 2025. This initiative calls for replacing career civil servants with political appointees.
The Office of Personnel Management recently circulated a memo detailing four directives from President Trump aimed at reshaping the federal workforce. Notably, the memo stipulates that most employees return to full-time office work by January 28. Additionally, the administration offers federal workers buyouts amounting to over seven months' salary, encouraging them to resign by February 6. This program ensures employees retain all pay and benefits and is available to all federal employees until its deadline.
Union president Everett Kelley has expressed concern that the buyout offer is designed to pressure non-loyal workers into leaving their jobs. He remarked that purging dedicated career employees could cause chaos for Americans relying on essential government functions.
"Purging the federal government of dedicated career federal employees will have vast, unintended consequences that will cause chaos for the Americans who depend on a functioning federal government." – Everett Kelley
The Trump administration's plan also includes freezing federal grants and loans. However, this aspect faced a setback when a judge blocked the freeze on Tuesday. The US government, which ranks as the nation's 15th-largest workforce with over 3 million employees, faces potential disruption if mass departures occur as anticipated.
Everett Kelley argues that these actions are part of a broader agenda to create a hostile work environment for federal employees. He stated that anti-worker policies aim to transform the government into an inhospitable place for its workforce.
"Between the flurry of anti-worker executive orders and policies, it is clear that the Trump administration’s goal is to turn the federal government into a toxic environment where workers cannot stay even if they want to." – Everett Kelley