Various federal agencies have renewed deferred resignation offers for employees as the Trump administration eyes further cuts to the federal workforce.
The initial “fork in the road” deferred resignation program offered during the first weeks of the Trump administration allowed most federal employees to resign from their positions and still earn pay and benefits through Sept. 30. The offer was accepted by roughly 77,000 federal employees, according to the White House.
As the efforts to cut down the federal workforce continue, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Agriculture, and the General Services Administration confirmed to the Washington Examiner that they have renewed deferred resignation offers to employees.
“We’re providing DOT employees a second chance to voluntarily leave. This is just one part of our effort to make DOT more efficient and accountable to the taxpayer. Those who perform safety-critical functions are exempt from this program,” a DOT spokesperson told the Washington Examiner.
The offers are similar to the program presented earlier in the Trump administration and have deadlines in the coming weeks, from April 7 to April 18, depending on the agency.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, USDA is being transparent about plans to optimize and reduce our workforce and to return the Department to a customer service focused, farmer first agency. By offering a deferred resignation program, we’re giving employees the opportunity to take control of their next step in federal service before any changes take place,” a USDA spokesperson told the Washington Examiner.
The Department of Defense and the Department of Housing and Urban Development have also renewed deferred resignation offers. In a memo issued last week, the Defense Department told its senior leadership that it would offer a deferred resignation program to “all eligible civilian employees.” HUD announced on X on Monday that it would offer another “fork in the road” program through April 11.
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The Department of Energy and the Small Business Administration have also reportedly offered renewed deferred resignation programs. The Washington Examiner has reached out to those agencies for comment.
The agencies’ renewed efforts to secure additional resignations come as the Trump administration has also cut various teams across agencies and attempted to lay off scores of probationary workers.