Overview
- Over 154,000 federal employees are receiving eight months of pay and benefits without working through Sept. 30, 2025, under the deferred resignation program, representing just over 6 percent of the 2.3 million civilian workforce
- The Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, modeled the initiative on private-sector buyouts to incentivize voluntary departures and shrink agency headcounts
- A Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations minority report estimated $21.7 billion in waste from the program, including $14.8 billion for voluntary buyouts and $6.1 billion for involuntary removals and administrative leave
- Federal unions and Democratic lawmakers have filed lawsuits and secured injunctions, arguing the program exceeds statutory authority and risks critical staffing gaps
- OPM spokeswoman McLaurine Pinover defended the deferred resignation buyouts as a “dignified and generous departure” that delivered taxpayer savings, though agency officials have not disclosed total salary outlays for participants