Federal workers wait and wonder
BUFFALO — A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to pause its deferred resignation program that was offered by email to most federal employees in late January.
Starting Jan. 28, correspondence from the Office of Personnel Management, the federal government’s human resources agency, has offered federal employees their salary and benefits through September to resign from their posts immediately.
The deadline to respond to the email whose subject line read “Fork in the Road” was originally Feb. 6, but was extended to Feb. 10. The same day, George A. O’Toole Jr., a U.S. District Court judge in the District of Massachusetts, ordered the administration to pause the program until he rules on its legality.
Approximately 125 federal employees live and work in Johnson County, including positions with the U.S. Postal Service, whose personnel are not eligible for the resignation benefits, and
land management agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service.
Johnson County Commission Chairman Bill Novotny has advocated in the past to staff certain positions in the Bighorn National Forest’s Powder River District office in Buffalo. Most recently, he wrote to the forest’s leadership to request that it hire someone for the top local ranger position.
“I greatly value the working relationship Johnson County has built with our federal partners,” Novotny wrote in an email to the Bulletin. “We fought so hard to get a (Forest Service) District Ranger, I would hate to lose him before he reports for duty.”
Novotny said that while he appreciates the Trump administration’s fiscal conservatism, thinning out the federal workforce could cost the Federal Treasury. And on the local level, he said, federal workers and their families are not only a necessary workforce but also a vital part of the community.
“On a more human level, they have kids in our schools and coach and volunteer,” he said. “They are our friends and neighbors. They pay local property taxes and contribute to the local sales tax base. Their spouses also hold jobs as nurses and teachers.”
Positions in the BLM and Forest Service offices are necessary, Novotny said. Staffers steward the Bighorn National Forest and other federal lands that make up 30% of the county’s land mass. Federal employees also process applications for mineral extraction and grazing leases for local ranchers.
“Unnecessary vacancies further delay energy projects, timber sales and trail maintenance,” Novotny said.
Rob Davidson, president of the Council for the Bighorn Range, a local conservation organization, echoed Novotny’s sentiment about the potential impact of mass resignations. He also noted that federal land management agencies will not hire seasonal workers this coming summer amid a budget shortfall.
“This will affect partnerships with Wyoming State Forestry, wildlife, and wilderness volunteers with their programs,” Davidson wrote in an email. “This systematic takedown of our public agencies will affect our communities’ health and viability.”
President Donald Trump has pledged to cut spending and downsize the federal government. There are currently 2.4 million federal workers in the U.S., not including 600,000 people who work for the Postal Service, according to the Pew Research Center. Wyoming has a high proportion of federal workers compared with much of the country. Federal employees comprise 4.1% of Wyoming’s workforce, according to the Congressional Research Service.
In fiscal year 2024, the federal government spent $6.9 trillion, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan research and policy institute. In 2024, the federal government’s total payroll for wages and benefits was about $213 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. This figure does not include the military or Postal Service.
Federal employees first received an email from the Office of Personnel Management on Jan. 28 informing workers of the Trump administration’s goal to reform the federal workforce, according to correspondence obtained by the Bulletin.
The email informs employees that they can resign immediately by replying with the word “resign” before Feb. 6, and they would receive full pay and benefits through Sept. 30.
“If you choose to remain in your current position, we thank you for your renewed focus on serving the American people to the best of your abilities and look forward to working together as part of an improved federal workforce,” the message says. “At this time, we cannot give you full assurance regarding the certainty of your position or agency but should your position be eliminated you will be treated with dignity and will be afforded the protections in place for such positions.”
The email states several goals of the Trump administration, including bringing federal employees who have worked remotely since the coronavirus pandemic back to their physical offices five days a week. It says that it will use restructurings, realignments and reductions to downsize the federal workforce, and achieve other goals such as a higher-quality workforce.
An additional email responding to frequently asked questions clarified that employees are encouraged to find a new job in the private sector. It also notes that employees “are most welcome to stay at home and relax or travel to your dream destination. Whatever you would like.”
The Trump administration has reported that more than 65,000 workers have taken the offer as of this week.
Unions that represent federal workers and nonprofits have sued the administration over its resignation incentive. They argued that because agency budgets are controlled by Congress, the executive branch cannot promise paid leave without the legislative branch appropriating funds.
The court instructed the Trump administration to inform federal employees that the program is paused. It is uncertain when the judge will make a ruling, according to Reuters reporting.
This story was published on February 13, 2025.