(Adnkronos) – Just over 40,000 federal employees have so far accepted the offer, which is expected to expire today, from the Trump administration to resign with a severance package of eight months’ salary. This is reported by the Washington Post, citing informed sources, underlining that, 24 hours after the deadline contained in the email sent last week to over 2.3 million federal employees, it is less than 2% of the total.
Numbers much lower than the final goal of Elon Musk, the billionaire head of Doge behind the operation, as indicated by the fact that the email sent to federal employees has the same title, “A fork in the road,” as that of the communication with which the founder of Tesla fired thousands of Twitter employees after the acquisition.
In a post on X, Musk said he was convinced that between 5% and 10% of federal workers would accept the offer, aided by the fact that starting today the Trump administration is expected to suspend all agreements that allow hundreds of thousands of employees to take advantage of smart working. Interviewed by the Post, an official from the Office of Personnel Management, the office that oversees the management of federal personnel, said the number of employees accepting the offer “is growing”.
Since this office, which has come under the control of Musk’s team, unexpectedly sent the email, Democrats and unions have been urging federal workers not to trust the “deferred resignation” offer, stating that, with the interim budget approved only until March, it is not at all certain that the eight months of severance pay will be paid.
“We urge federal workers not to accept the administration’s vague offer, which has contradictory details,” said the American Federation of Government Employees, the main union representing government employees, denouncing that its members risk “being misled” by a “legally dubious and financially irresponsible” offer. It was pointed out that by accepting the offer, employees waive “forever” any legal action relating to their resignation, while the government reserves the right to terminate the agreement.
