White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denied on Wednesday that federal worker buyout offers are a way to “purge” the government of President Donald Trump’s critics.
Federal workers received an email this week offering a “deferred resignation program” by February 6. If accepted, the workers would receive pay and benefits into September. The program is part of Trump’s larger plan to force federal workers back to the office and to cut spending.
Leavitt called it an “overwhelmingly popular policy” outside of Washington DC when asked if the buyout offer was simply a pay to “purge people who don’t agree with the president” from the government.
She said:
That’s absolutely false. This is a suggestion to federal workers that they have to return to work. And if they don’t, then they have the option to resign. And this administration is very generously offering to pay them for eight months. 6% of the federal workforce in this city actually shows up to work. That’s unacceptable. We’re all here at work at the office. There are law enforcement officers and teachers and nurses across the country who showed up to the office today. People in this city need to do the same. It’s an overwhelmingly popular policy with people outside of Washington DC. The president campaigned on this and his administration is keeping a promise.
Leavitt also denied there would be additional cost due to office space, arguing the government is paying for empty buildings at the moment.
“We’re going to make good use of the office space in this city by having these federal workers return to work. I would also add that the order simply directs federal agencies to come up with a return to work plan. And so this isn’t a purge and this isn’t forcing every single individual in Washington DC to return to work,” she said. “Only if they are able and, of course, within the law.”
Watch above via CSPAN.