40,000 federal employees have now accepted President Trump's buyout resignation offer

Around 40,000 of the roughly 2.3 million federal employees eligible for the buyout offer have accepted, according to NBC News and The Washington Post—up from about 20,000 the day before.

On February 4, CNN reported that Trump is planning large-scale layoffs for those who don’t accept the buyouts, citing two anonymous administration officials.

Also on February 4, the CIA, initially excluded from the offer, extended the buyout option to all its employees and announced a hiring freeze, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.

On January 28, the Office of Personnel Management sent a memo and mass email to federal employees, offering all full-time civilian staff the chance to accept buyouts by February 6, with benefits paid through September 30.

The email warned that most federal agencies would likely experience downsizing through restructurings, realignments, and workforce reductions, with many employees potentially facing furloughs or being reclassified as “at-will,” making them easier to terminate.