WASHINGTON — The “fork in the road” offer allows employees to voluntarily leave their positions and continue to receive their full salary and benefits through Sept. 30. A judge ruled in favor of President Trump’s deferred resignation program on a technicality earlier this week.
Nearly 75,000 federal employees have resigned from the federal government since Wednesday. On Thursday more than half a dozen federal agencies announced they were laying off probationary employees.
The impacted agencies include:
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Department of Education
- Department of Energy
- Department of Veteran Affairs
- General Services Administration
- National Nuclear Security Administration
- Office of Personnel Management
- Small Business Administration
- US Forest Service
- United States Department of Agriculture
With more agencies expected to follow suit.
The Veterans Affairs confirmed they have laid off more than 1,000 employees as of Thursday night.
In a statement released by the agency, they said those dismissed include non-bargaining unit probationary employees who have been employed less than a year in a competitive service appointment or less than two years in an expected service appointment.
The VA says this move will save the department more than $98 million a year, which they plan to redirect toward health care, benefits, and services for VA beneficiaries.
However, not everyone who was in a probationary position was let go. More than 43,000 people managed to escape the cuts because they “serve in mission-critical positions”.
“At VA, we are focused on saving money so it can be better spent on Veteran care. We thank these employees for their service to VA. This was a tough decision, but ultimately it’s the right call to better support the Veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors the department exists to serve,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins.
We are keeping a close eye on all things pertaining to the federal workforce fallout and will update you when more agencies announce any additional layoffs.