Federal Employee Buyout Plan Halted

What happened?

Just hours before the deadline for federal employees to accept the Trump Administration’s buyout offer, a federal judge in Boston issued an injunction, halting the plan. As of February 6, 2025, an estimated number of more than 60,000 federal workers had already agreed to the buyout.

The injunction will remain in effect until at least Monday, February 10th, when the judge is scheduled to hold a court hearing to address the legality of the buyouts, with arguments from employee unions and a lawyer representing the Trump Administration.

What was the buyout plan?

The buyout offer, known as the “Fork Directive,” gave over 2 million federal employees nationwide the option to either resign or remain in their current positions under a ‘deferred resignation’ program, with a deadline of February 6th. The offer was issued by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management on Tuesday, January 28, 2025. Employees who accepted the buyout would not be required to work but would continue to receive pay and benefits through September 30, 2025.

The buyout was not extended to military personnel, U.S. Postal Service workers, or employees in roles related to immigration enforcement and national security.

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