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Suspicion, Anger Grow Among California Federal Employees Over Trump’s Resignation Proposal

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The U.S. Capitol, including the House of Representatives, left, are seen on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Washington.  (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

Workers at several federal agencies in California expressed deep suspicion, trepidation and concern about a Trump administration offer to resign from civil service in exchange for months of current pay and benefits and not having to work in person.

As President Donald Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk seek to quickly downsize the federal workforce, emotions among civil servants have ranged from defiance to frustration and anger, and Democrats and labor leaders have urged caution.

Three California-based employees at the U.S. Department of the Interior, Department of Labor and the Environmental Protection Agency — who spoke with KQED on condition of anonymity because they fear being fired — said they and co-workers were not accepting the so-called deferred resignation offer. The deadline to opt in is Feb. 6.

“Nobody is taking the bait,” said a Department of Labor employee during a lunch break. “I enjoy being able to protect workers, and I’m not going to — for a few months of paid work — give up a job that I love.”

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The U.S. Office of Personnel Management email, sent to roughly 2 million civil servants starting Tuesday, warned most federal agencies are likely to be downsized, including through workforce cuts. The missive promised those who replied with the word “Resign” would keep all pay and benefits through Sept. 30, 2025, or an earlier resignation date they choose.

A longtime EPA employee said the ominous message was suspicious and upsetting to her and co-workers.

“This is not a typical buyout. All of the ‘Oh, we are going to be reducing, consolidating, who knows what’s going to happen to your agency, so you better resign,’ that’s sort of a threat,” said the staffer. “But if you do take this offer, are we even guaranteed what you are offering?”

The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 800,000 nurses, park rangers, social security professionals and other workers at most federal agencies, encouraged its members on Wednesday not to quit or respond to the email until further clarification. Democrats, including Sen. Tim Kaine and former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, have also urged civil servants to refuse the offer.

“There is not yet any evidence the administration can or will uphold its end of the bargain, that Congress will go along with this unilateral massive restructuring, or that appropriated funds can be used this way, among other issues that have been raised,” said the AFGE letter.

U.S. military personnel, postal service workers, and those in jobs related to immigration enforcement and national security are not targeted by the deferred resignation request.

This comes as Trump ordered changes to make it easier to terminate tens of thousands of federal workers who make or advocate for policy, a move that experts said is meant to strengthen his control over the executive branch. This week, some probationary employees with one or two years of service in some federal agencies also received an email reminding them they can be immediately fired because they have weaker job protections than co-workers.

About 152,000 civil service employees are based in California. Among non-postal civil agencies, the Department of Veterans Affairs employs the most people — nearly 500,000, according to the Pew Research Center.

OPM said employees who agree to deferred resignation won’t be expected to work except in rare cases, according to a frequently asked questions webpage. But the program’s language varies in different documents, and it remains unclear whether staffers would continue to work, be assigned to other jobs, or keep getting a paycheck, said Bethany Dreyfus, president of AFGE Local 1236, which represents EPA employees based in San Francisco and Las Vegas.

“Employees at EPA and at other federal agencies, they’re in these jobs because they’re committed to serving the American people and the mission of their agencies,” said Dreyfus, adding that EPA workers are engaged in vital tasks such as helping to clean up hazardous materials from the Los Angeles fires and training first responders on how to react to potential radiation emergencies.

“This idea that they would just take a deferred retirement, whatever that might mean, is distressing and a bit offensive to what they’ve committed their careers to,” she added.

An employee at the Department of the Interior in the Bay Area worried about the greater impact on critical government functions for the public if the administration massively slashes the workforce. He wondered what would happen to the research and other positions needed to alert the public about a dangerous earthquake, hurricane or volcano eruption coming.

“There doesn’t even seem to be recognition for the fact that we are all doing jobs that have civic value and are not things that the private sector does or would ever do because there’s no financial incentive,” he said. “We are doing this because we want to work on science for the public good. That makes the political overtones of this that much more painful.”

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