Washington: More than 75,000 U.S. federal workers accepted a voluntary resignation buyout offer, according to the Office of Personnel Management. While some were already planning to retire, others were driven by impending federal workforce reductions or the mandate to return to the office.
Many of these workers took pride in their public service and bristled at former President Donald Trump’s characterization of the civil service as bloated and ineffective. They spoke to Reuters about their decisions, their concerns, and what comes next.
The Trump administration, aiming to shrink the 2.3-million-strong civilian workforce, introduced various strategies, including large-scale firings. A federal judge recently allowed the buyout plan to move forward, with payments offered to employees who resigned voluntarily by September 30.
Some of the 75,000 US federal workers who accepted Donald Trump’s buyout offer were ready to retire, they said. Others were motivated by looming federal-workforce cuts or orders to return to the office https://t.co/BSw3JrUVHL pic.twitter.com/fJ3yQquo8B
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 16, 2025
Each worker had personal reasons for taking the offer, and now they face new choices—whether to retire, seek new employment, or take a break. Here are five of their stories:
‘A Unicorn Job’
Jourdain Solis, 27, of Fresno, California, accepted the buyout after learning that his role at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which involves enforcing fuel tax compliance, might be eliminated.
“I love my job. I get to make my own schedule and find the people and businesses I audit for tax compliance,” Solis said. “I get a government vehicle and travel all the time. This is like a unicorn job.”
Though Solis had hoped to build a long-term career at the IRS, he will receive a small pension for his five years of service. Now, he plans to explore opportunities in state or city government, as well as private-sector roles in accounting or administration. In the meantime, he looks forward to traveling abroad—a suggestion the administration made when encouraging employees to take the buyout.
Retiring Anyway
Kurt Floyd, 62, of Arlington, Texas, saw the buyout as an opportunity to begin his retirement early after 39 years in public service. He most recently worked as a program manager supporting U.S. Border Patrol, Homeland Security, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“I figured why not go ahead and take it, and have a vacation for seven, eight months and be retired,” Floyd said.
His long career included two military tours in Afghanistan and a tenure with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that began in 1997. Already commuting to the office twice a week, he was unbothered by the mandate to return five days a week.
A retirement seminar led by a former government worker helped him decide to accept the buyout. Now, he plans to spend time fishing and being with his 11-year-old child.
‘A Really Hard Decision’
Jennifer Mercer, 46, of Hollywood, Maryland, struggled with the decision to take the buyout.
“I spent many days in tears,” she said.
Mercer, who manages contracts at a naval base, feared eventual layoffs and was unable to comply with the five-day office mandate. As a single mother, she couldn’t drop her 10-year-old son at school and still arrive at work by 8:30 AM.
Hoping for approval of a hybrid schedule, Mercer was still awaiting confirmation of her resignation as of Friday.
“It’s an extremely difficult position to put us in because I don’t trust them, the administration, or Elon Musk,” she said, referencing the billionaire and Trump ally leading the government’s cost-cutting efforts.
‘We Truly Care’
Ken Brown, 63, of Lafayette, Indiana, accepted the buyout because he couldn’t sustain a full-time office commute. Before the return-to-office mandate, he had been traveling—at his own expense—from Indiana to Washington, D.C., to meet the requirement of four in-office days per two-week pay period.
Brown had been willing to continue that arrangement for a few more years, but commuting five days a week was “not an option.” He worked at the Department of Health and Human Services, providing healthcare assistance to uninsured, isolated, or medically vulnerable individuals.
“I really like the work. This is the thing getting lost in the news and vitriol against the federal workforce,” Brown said. “We truly care about the work we do on behalf of the American people.”
‘Losing a Career’
Constantine Kiriakou, 37, of Virginia Beach, was planning to accept the buyout but missed the window after his wife was laid off from the U.S. Agency for International Development. The couple, parents to three young daughters, had been closely watching the judge’s decision on the program.
“I missed the window,” he said in a text message. “Now (I’m) more confused and stressed than ever.”
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Although skeptical about the buyout due to the lack of a formal contract and the tone of the offer, Kiriakou had intended to accept it. His family had already moved to Virginia Beach, and he had been flying to D.C. once every two weeks for work. Relocating back to the capital was financially unfeasible.
“I’m not losing a job, I’m losing a career,” he said. “Most people’s reaction to that is, ‘Move back to D.C.’ It’s just not that easy.”
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Kiriakou remains hopeful that he can still participate in the deferred resignation program, having sent a late acceptance request. Otherwise, he fears he may be laid off or forced to resign.
To cut costs, he and his wife have sold one of their cars and plan to withdraw their eldest child from daycare. “Right now, we’re doing everything we can to pinch pennies,” he said.
