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154,000 Federal Workers Exit Payroll This Week in Largest Cut Since World War II

OPM says the departures will cut costs; unions warn of near-term disruption.

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About 150,000 workers took the Trump administration’s resignation deal. The mass resignation is in stark contrast to white-collar employees “job-hugging."
A partisan standoff over health care and spending is threatening to trigger the first U.S. government shutdown in almost seven years, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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Overview

  • OPM says about 154,000 employees accepted the Trump administration’s Deferred Resignation Program, with most formally separating on Sept. 30 and others by year-end.
  • Under the program, participants transferred their duties earlier in the year and remained on paid administrative leave until their separation date.
  • OPM projects roughly $28 billion in long-term annual savings, while a July Senate analysis estimated about $14.8 billion in short-term wage and benefit costs for workers on leave.
  • Agency officials and experts report service strains from the loss of experience, including nearly 200 departures at the National Weather Service that reduced technical staff and seasoned meteorologists.
  • The resignations coincide with a congressional funding deadline that could trigger furloughs, and Maryland officials warn of local economic impacts tied to the large federal workforce there.