Federal layoffs ‘likely’ if too few employees choose to quit, memo says

A supervisor in a government agency now run by allies of billionaire Elon Musk told staff early this week that layoffs across the federal government are “likely” after Thursday’s deadline to accept the deferred resignation offer, according to an email obtained by The Washington Post—a step toward forcibly removing many of the 2.3 million civilian federal employees.

“Please know that I empathize with the tough decisions you each are having to make,” wrote Erv Koehler, assistant commissioner of general supplies and services at the General Services Administration, in the email. “Please focus on making the best decision for you and your particular situation.”

Reached by phone, Koehler declined to comment.

Heads of federal agencies are under increasing pressure from the Trump administration to slash the size of their staff after early indications of the deferred resignation program show officials still short of realizing their goal of 2% to 5% reduction. An Office of Personnel Management official on Friday said more than 20,000 people had accepted the offer, but declined to provide a specific figure.

Layoffs, known in federal government lingo as “Reductions in Force,” are infrequent. They have historically been used when an agency is reorganizing, lacks enough funding to support its current staff, or wants to contract out certain functions to the private sector.

The notice marked a shift in tone from the Trump administration, which initially hoped to cajole tens of thousands of federal workers to leave their jobs through incentives. The email blast to the entire workforce with the deferred resignation offer, which allows employees to quit now and be paid through September, was followed by upbeat communications touting its benefits—advising workers they could essentially take months of paid vacation and would not be expected to work.

But the offer was followed by calls from unions and Democratic lawmakers to ignore it. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and other unions that represent federal employees filed a lawsuit Tuesday in the Federal District Court in Massachusetts seeking a temporary restraining order to halt the Thursday deadline.

AFGE National President Everett Kelley, in a statement, called the offer “slick talk from unelected billionaires” and said it was “unfunded, unlawful, and comes with no guarantees.”

Soon after sending an email to many agencies—obtained by The Washington Post—that advised staffers the government would likely conduct layoffs, the federal personnel office on Tuesday sent an email to the entire workforce, reminding them of the Thursday deadline.

Meanwhile, officials told leadership at OPM that the personnel office would aim to cut its staff by about 70%, according to two career staffers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of professional retaliation.

At town hall meetings Tuesday afternoon, National Science Foundation leadership warned hundreds of their employees of a significant layoff coming in the next few months, according to three NSF employees who shared details of those meetings on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak. People at the meetings said that while they were not specifically encouraged to take the deferred resignation option, they were reminded that it was available, with a deadline of Thursday.

And at the GSA, which manages real estate and some procurement and information technology across the federal government, management is looking to cut its staff in half, according to two people familiar with internal conversations, also speaking on the condition of anonymity to share private discussions. Managers this week had to give Trump officials a “bare minimum” of full-time staff they would need to function with half their budget, according to documents and interviews with GSA employees. The lists, for some, were due Tuesday.

The last time the GSA laid off staff was during the Reagan administration, when more than 800 of 11,500 employees received reduction-in-force notices. Some were let go, while others were shifted out of their jobs or demoted.

The Trump administration has cast the federal government as bloated and too easy on low performers, which officials say justifies mass layoffs. But the government has regulations that govern job cuts: An employee’s seniority, performance, whether they are a veteran and other factors must be taken into account.

Since the offer went out, Democratic lawmakers and unions representing career civil servants have been outspoken, calling the program a scam. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) on the Senate floor said the “president has no authority to make that offer”—warning, “If you accept that offer and resign, he’ll stiff you.”

The government is only funded through mid-March for now, well before the offer of close to eight months’ paid leave ends on Sept. 30. The personnel office in an FAQ said any government shutdown could potentially affect an employee’s pay regardless of whether he or she has accepted the deferred resignation offer.

On Monday, 11 attorneys general across the country issued a warning about what they called the Trump administration’s “misleading” offer.

“President Trump’s so-called buyout offers are nothing more than the latest attack on federal workers and the services they provide,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “Federal employees should be cautious and follow the guidance of their unions to protect their rights.”