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‘No big deal’: Here’s why federal employees say they won’t take Trump’s resignation offer
A Boston federal judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s resignation offer to federal civilian employees on Thursday.
A Boston federal judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s resignation offer to federal civilian employees, just hours before the offer’s end-of-day deadline.
Federal workers had until 11:59 p.m. on Thursday to decide whether to take the Trump administration’s deferred resignation offer, which would allow them to leave their jobs but be paid through the end of September. But now, federal employees will have a little more time to decide.
U.S. District Judge George O’Toole in Boston issued a temporary restraining order to allow time for labor unions to challenge the plan’s legality. O’Toole’s injunction will pause the resignation offer deadline until a hearing on Monday, when he is expected to hear arguments from federal employee unions and by a lawyer for the Trump administration.
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Earlier this week, the American Federation of Government Employees and other unions – including the Quincy-based National Association of Government Employees – filed a lawsuit against the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on Tuesday charging that the deferred resignation offer violates the law.
“OPM has offered no statutory basis for its unprecedented offer,” the federal workers unions said in the lawsuit.
On Jan. 28, federal workers received an email titled “Fork in the Road” from the OPM outlining the Trump administration’s plans to reform and downsize the federal workforce. Federal employees were given until Feb. 6 to consider the administration’s deferred resignation offer, which gave workers the ability to leave their positions voluntarily and allegedly retain all pay and benefits until September 30, 2025.
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About 40,000 employees have accepted the offer, two unnamed sources told NBC News.
But according to nearly 600 Boston.com readers, many federal employees aren’t planning on taking the offer.
On Jan. 28, the Trump administration announced that it is giving resignation offers to all federal employees who leave their jobs by next week. Will you take the offer?
Yes, I plan on taking it
16%
No, I don't plan on taking it
45%
I'm not a federal employee
38%
The Jan. 28 email sparked confusion, concern, and frustration among many federal employees.
“This has been quite the roller coaster. I have gone from no to yes to no to yes to, finally, no,” Boston.com reader David D. from Londonderry, New Hampshire said in an email to Boston.com. He said he has worked as a customer service representative for the IRS for 10 years, and will not plan to take the deferred resignation offer.
“The people I work with are incredibly angry at being demonized and called lazy, incompetent, corrupt. This whole experience has been insulting and demeaning. There is also a sense of dread and uncertainty that we will lose our jobs and benefits and that the work environment will turn hellish,” he said.
Below, readers who said they don’t plan on taking the deferred resignation offer share their perspective. Boston.com reached out to all readers who self-identified as federal employees and gave their contact information.
Responses have been lightly edited for grammar and clarity.
No, I don’t plan on taking the offer
“Even though I – like many of my co-workers in Virginia – could make a higher salary in the private sector, I will stay until they fire me because I made a commitment to serving veterans and they don’t deserve the negative impact that this effort will have on their access to benefits and services.” – Anonymous reader, Newton
“I have zero faith that this administration won’t try to screw over my pay and retirement benefits over the next year. Elon [Musk] stuffed loads of his employees, no reason not to expect Trump to not do the same.” – J., Worcester
“I am close to my minimum retirement date, so I have no desire to leave a pension annuity on the table or take a penalized reduced amount.” – Mambo M., Canton
“I will outlast the four years the current administration will be in office. Eight months pay to quit my job serving the USA is fiscally impoverishing and insulting. I’d much rather work. I will continue on in my position as if this offer never happened.” – John, Boston
“I work for the government, I’m not in it for the money, I want to make a difference in the world. The buyout gives some money in exchange for a position I’ve worked my whole life for, not because of the paycheck, but because of the nature of the work. Plus, if they fire me, instead of me quitting, I’ll get better benefits.” – Duarte B., Worcester
“I’ll just go back to the office. No big deal.” – Joe R., Boston
“My gut tells me that the buyout pay will never actually come, and I will be left struggling.” – Bob, Somerville
“It’s really sad it’s come down to this, there are a lot of good people at the agency I work at. I have been in my position for 5 years and I am not letting scare tactics chase me away.” – John D., Brookhaven, New York
Boston.com occasionally interacts with readers by conducting informal polls and surveys. These results should be read as an unscientific gauge of readers’ opinion.
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