A coalition of Democratic attorneys general issued warnings to federal workers in their states Monday about the Trump administration’s buyout offers, calling the program “misleading.”
The 11 attorneys general, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), cautioned that the benefits touted as part of the “deferred resignation” program being offered to nearly all full-time federal employees may not be assured.
“President Trump’s so-called buyout offers are nothing more than the latest attack on federal workers and the services they provide,” James said. “These supposed offers are not guaranteed.”
The Trump administration says federal workers who accept the buyout will be paid until the end of September and retain their benefits so long as they resign by Thursday. The offer was extended to an estimated 2 million federal employees, and at least 20,000 federal employees have accepted the offer so far, a source told The Hill.
The attorneys general urged federal employees to follow the guidance of their unions to protect their rights.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) decried the offer as “completely unreliable,” while Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) urged workers to “read the fine print before signing.”
California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) said the buyouts are a “pointed attack aimed at dismantling our federal workforce and sowing chaos for Americans that rely on a functioning government.”
And New Jersey’s attorney general, Matthew Platkin (D), took direct aim at billionaire Elon Musk, whom Trump has tapped to cut the federal workforce via the Department of Government Efficiency.
“President Trump has allowed an unelected billionaire with no constitutional authority to intimidate the civil servants who keep our government running in an attempt to push them out of their jobs,” Platkin said, noting that federal workers’ protections don’t change when a new president takes office.
Democratic attorneys general have banded together several times since Trump took office, seeking to form a line of defense against various executive actions.
