(WNY News Now) Letitia James, the attorney general of New York, and eleven other states have warned federal employees about the Trump administration’s deferred resignation policy. If federal employees retire before February 6, the scheme offers them ongoing salary through September 30, 2025, but authorities warn that this offer may not be guaranteed.
NEW YORK Letitia James, the attorney general of New York, led a group of eleven other attorneys general today in alerting federal employees about the deceptive deferred resignation scheme of the Trump administration, which provides federal employees compensation through September 30, 2025, provided they resign by February 6.
According to Attorney General James, the millions of federal employees perform crucial roles in many aspects of our lives, from protecting the safety of our communities to guaranteeing Americans’ access to housing, healthcare, and other key services. The latest assault on government employees and the services they provide is what President Trump’s purported buyout offers are. These purported offers are subject to change. To safeguard their rights, federal workers should exercise caution and heed their unions’ advice. Attacks on our federal employees will only make things more chaotic and confusing for Americans and lower the standard of services that our government offers. Any attempt to undermine the federal assistance and programs that the people of our states depend on will be met with retaliation.
A new postponed resignation program was described in an email addressed to millions of federal employees by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on January 28. Workers were informed that they would be released from in-person work requirements until September 30, 2025, and that they would still get all salary and benefits if they accepted the offer and resigned. On January 30, the OPM reiterated the offer in a follow-up email to federal workers, encouraging them to look for higher-paying positions outside of government. The OPM emails warned that employees who did not quit were not certain of their jobs, and they gave them until February 6 to decide whether to stay on or go under the deferred resignation program.
Unions that represent federal employees cautioned their members against accepting the offer as soon as OPM sent out the email. The largest federal employees’ organization, the American Federation of Government Employees, issued a warning to its members that workers who accepted the offer were not assured of its benefits. Members were also cautioned by the National Federation of Federal Employees not to accept the offer.
This is only the most recent instance of Attorney General James acting to safeguard the federal resources and services that New Yorkers depend on. Attorney General James joined a group of 22 attorneys general filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on January 28 in an attempt to prevent a freeze on most federal funding to states. A federal judge approved the state’s request for a temporary restraining order on January 31 in order to prevent the Trump administration’s funding freeze from taking effect.
The attorneys general of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Vermont, and Washington have joined Attorney General James in alerting federal employees.