Federal workers decry Trump attempt to force mass resignations as ‘cruel joke’
Federal workers decry Trump attempt to force mass resignations as ‘cruel joke’
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Advocates say email sent to 3 million employees offering resignations is dangerous and ‘of questionable legality’. Federal workers and their advocates on Wednesday condemned the Trump administration’s attempt to encourage them to resign en masse, describing an unprecedented email from the government’s human resources department office as a ham-handed attempt to create hostility in their workplaces and offer a false promise of an easy transition out government service.
On Tuesday, the US office of personnel management (OPM) sent nearly all of its 3 million employees an email offering them deferred resignations and warning that, if they choose to stay, they may be laid off or reassigned. The message shows signs of being connected to Elon Musk and the “department of government efficiency”, the effort sanctioned by Donald Trump that puts the multibillionaire entrepreneur in charge of dramatically downsizing Washington DC’s federal agencies. While Trump is far from the first president to promise Americans a leaner and more responsive government, the attempt to cut federal workers regardless of their titles has sparked alarm for its potential impact on the range of services these agencies provide.
“The Trump administration’s recent efforts to encourage the bulk of the federal workforce to resign are perplexing, of questionable legality and dangerous,” said Max Stier, president and CEO at the Partnership for Public Service, which advocates on behalf of civil servants. “Americans rely on federal workers to fly safely, help veterans and seniors access their benefits, keep our food and water safe, protect public health, respond to natural disasters, and maintain the rule of law. Stripping away expert talent through such a non-strategic approach puts all of us at risk in a profound way.”.
