Donald Trump has offered to buy out federal workers from their government contracts if they don’t want to return to the office.
The offer was emailed to millions of employees on Tuesday, with a February 6 deadline to accept
If workers agree to quit their jobs, they will be eligible for eight months of salary as a severance package.
There are more than two million federal employees in the US, and White House officials expect around 10% (200,000) to accept the offer.
Senior Trump aides told US media that the volunteer redundancies could save the Government up to US$100 billion (£80bn).
In an interview with CNN, Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, claimed Government employees were “overwhelmingly left of centre”.
Some federal employees, including military personnel, immigration officials, national security workers, and postal staff, were exempted from the offer.
Workers were asked to reply to the email with the word “resign” written into the subject line if they wanted to take the deal.
They will be entitled to receive both pay and benefits until September 30.
The Government’s HR agency, the Office of Personnel Management, warned employees in the email that further cuts to staff could happen in the future.
“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,” it reads.
Trump repeatedly pledged to cut the size of the Government and slash federal spending while on the campaign trail.
