Roughly 75,000 federal workers across government have accepted a buyout offer, taking an unusual deal spearheaded by the Trump administration as it looks to reduce the federal workforce.
A senior administration official confirmed the figure in the hours after a court rejected a bid by unions to quash the program.
The court ruling allowed the government to officially close what was known as the Fork in the Road program.
The buyout offered federal workers eight months of pay and benefits for those who wished to leave government as President Trump forges ahead with a return to office mandate.
The figure – 3.75 percent of the nation’s 2 million federal employees – falls short of the projected 5 percent to 10 percent of federal employees the White House expected to take the deal.
“OPM is pleased the court has rejected a desperate effort to strike down the Deferred Resignation Program,” the agency said earlier Wednesday.
“This program was carefully designed, thoroughly vetted, and provides generous benefits so federal workers can plan for their futures.”
Semafor first reported the numbers.
Unions had cautioned employees against taking the unusual offer.
Numerous provisions in the accompanying contract contradict promises made by OPM, leaving unclear whether employees will not have to report to work and will be free to seek outside employment as the agency has claimed.
Critics have also raised legal and logistical challenges.
The government is currently only funded through March, raising concerns over whether funding needed to back commitments to employees will materialize. That dynamic could violate the Antideficiency Act, which bars the government from spending beyond what is dictated in its budget and requires it to use federal funding as intended.
A federal judge rejected union calls to block the program, finding they did not have standing to sue.
“We continue to maintain it is illegal to force American citizens who have dedicated their careers to public service to make a decision, in a few short days, without adequate information, about whether to uproot their families and leave their careers for what amounts to an unfunded IOU from Elon Musk,” American Federation of Government Everett Kelley said in a statement after the court ruling.
