The Donald Trump administration sent a mail to federal employees offering them payouts for eight months if they choose to resign. The federal employees now have time till February 6 to respond to the mail and get full pay through the end of September, or they risk being furloughed or being made easier to fire. Elon Musk praised the offer several times on his social media platform X triggering speculation whether he drafted the mail as it bore a strong resemblance to what Musk did at then-Twitter in 2022. In fact, Musk’s email also had “Fork in the Road” subject line.
“Worth noting that the 8 month severance offer through the end of the government fiscal year is the most that is legally allowed without Congress passing another appropriations bill. Very generous,” Musk posted on X.
“It really is a fair & generous deal,” Elon Musk wrote again commenting on a post that equated the buyout offer to a paid vacation.
Deferred resignation: What is it?
The memo sent to government employees Tuesday evening informed them of their offer for “deferred resignation,” which would begin effective immediately and offer pay and benefits until Sept. 30, for those who accept. Any government employee can qualify through Feb. 6, “except for military personnel of the armed forces, employees of the U.S. Postal Service, those in positions related to immigration enforcement and national security, and those in any other positions specifically excluded by your employing agency,” the memo said.
A follow-up memo from the government said employees who accept the resignation offer would “promptly” have their duties reassigned or eliminated, and be placed on administrative leave.
Elon Musk clarifies what federal employees can do for 8 months
The ‘deferred resignation’ is a brainchild of Elon Musk’d DOGE as he continued to explain the program as confusion persisted. In the latest post, Musk explained that the federal employees, unless in rare cases, are not expected to work during the deferred resignation period. The federal employees can take a vacation, watch movies and chill and can even do any other job.
There are two million federal workers to whom this offer has been made. About 5-10 per cent of the workforce is estimated to quit which could lead to around $100 billion in savings.
