More than 3,800 employees regained their first offer in February and received their second offer in April.
WASHINGTON – More than 15,000 USDA employees have accepted federal acquisition offers and have resigned or early retirement in exchange for months of paid leave and benefits.
More than 3,800 workers received their first offer in February. When it reappeared in April, more than 11,300 people received the offer.
A USDA spokesman said despite workforce cuts, Agriculture Secretary Brook Rollins would not allow them to compromise “sectoral work in the department.”
Rollins’ intention is to make the department “more effective and efficient,” the spokesman said in an emailed statement to the Epoch Times by prioritizing farmers, ranchers and producers.
Deferred resignation or postponed retirement programs are “a completely voluntary tool… to help employees decide which one is best for them,” the spokesman said.
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“These 53 location categories implement important functions for American safety and security,” the statement said.
“Food security is national security,” and Secretary Rollins does not compromise on this important job. ”
The government-wide acquisition offer was part of a larger effort by President Donald Trump to reduce the size of federal officials to cut costs.
Others were not very enthusiastic about this idea.
One employee in another department – the Labor Bureau, tasked with managing and enforcing the laws governing occupational safety and health, wage and time standards, unemployment benefits, reemployment services, and economic statistics, encourages advocating anonymity on the condition of privacy concerns.
“I don’t think there’s any reason to take that,” he told the Epoch Times on April 29th.
“For one thing, I’m a civil servant. I’m a federal employee. I’m there to help people.
He said his department was offered both buyouts, but the long paid “vacation” between jobs was not as important as the public influence of his work.
“I found an insulting offer. You know, get paid to sit at home for a while, then what? I’ll get it for my colleagues at retirement age, but for others, if this administration wants to kick me out, it’ll have to fire me,” he said.
He also said the acquisition had no logistical meaning for him as his office was already in a severe understaffing.
Zack Stieber contributed to this report.
