Overview

• The resignations coincide with a Tuesday funding deadline, and the White House has directed agencies to prepare large-scale firing plans if Congress fails to pass a deal.
• The administration projects about 275,000 total departures when deferred resignations, voluntary separations, attrition and early retirements are included.
• A Senate Democrats' report estimates $14.8bn in costs for roughly 200,000 employees on up to eight months of paid leave, a figure the White House disputes as it claims $28bn in annual savings.
• Labor unions led by AFGE have an ongoing lawsuit alleging the program circumvents congressional authority and undermines agency missions.
• Officials and analysts say the departures amount to the steepest single-year drop in the civilian federal workforce since the second world war.