By Tim Reid, Valerie Volcovici, David Shepardson and Nandita Bose
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Fearful U.S. government workers weighed whether to take a buyout offer from the Trump administration ahead of a Thursday deadline, as officials pressed ahead with a restructuring effort that could dramatically shrink the U.S. civil service.
Federal worker unions urged their members not to take the offers and said they may not be legal, despite administration assurances. The unions sued to block the offer, with a court hearing scheduled for 1 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday (1800 GMT).
At least 40,000 have taken the deal so far, according to a White House source, about 2% of the government’s 2.3 million civilian workforce.
President Donald Trump has deputized his billionaire adviser Elon Musk to lead the overhaul, which has sparked protests and accusations by opposition Democrats that the world’s richest person is taking over the government.
Musk’s team at the Department of Government Efficiency has stirred security and privacy concerns as it has demanded to see classified materials and examined payment records at the Treasury Department.
A White House official told Reuters that Musk and his engineers have appropriate security clearances and can see payment data but do not have the power to change it.
Musk and his team are operating in “full compliance with federal law, appropriate security clearances, and as employees of the relevant agencies, not as outside advisors or entities,” the White House official said.
As the Thursday deadline approached, the Trump administration has repeated its warning that most federal agencies are likely to be downsized, a message seen by workers as pressure to accept the buyout offer. Some 116,000 workers left government service in the 2023 fiscal year, according to the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit.
Employees at the General Services Administration, which manages federal properties, have been bracing for mass layoffs after officials said they plan to slash spending by half.
“It’s just chaos, no one is able to do any real work now,” said one employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Colleagues were deleting personal documents from their work computers, the person said.
Another worker at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who also asked not to be named, said the mood inside the agency was one of fear and confusion. Staff believe they will likely lose their jobs whether or not they accept the offer, the person said.
Musk’s team is now examining personnel records at the weather-research agency, according to another source.
Others adopted a more defiant stance, saying they would not cooperate with what they saw as an effort to destroy the nonpartisan civil service.
“I am scared about losing my job, but I am not going to give in. They need to push me out,” said an employee at the Department of Agriculture who also spoke on condition of anonymity.
Joyce Howell, an attorney and union leader at the Environmental Protection Agency, said 200 people showed up for a lunchtime meeting seeking advice.
“They were determined to find a way to stay at EPA,” she told Reuters.
The biggest target of Musk’s overhaul so far has been USAID, the agency that distributes nearly $50 billion in foreign aid annually. Its headquarters have been closed to staff, who were told this week they will be put on administrative leave as of Friday.
The agency employed 4,675 people as of last March, including 1,450 overseas, government figures show.
Trump said on Tuesday he also wants to shutter the Department of Education, which employs 4,245 people.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which manages the country’s two largest health programs, said it is also working with Musk’s effort. The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk aides had gotten access to key payment and contracting systems.
Trump has defended Musk’s actions and says the federal bureaucracy is too bloated and filled with people who oppose his political agenda.
“The ongoing operations of DOGE may be seen as disruptive by those entrenched in the federal bureaucracy, who resist change,” the White House official added.
‘DO YOUR JOB’
Federal agencies have been told to compile a list of those who have been hired within the last two years who lack full employment protection and would be easier to fire – roughly 13% of the workforce, according to government figures.
Several hundred protesters, joined by Democratic lawmakers, gathered outside the U.S. Capitol, chanting “Do your job” as they urged Congress to stop Trump’s restructuring. Congress has authority over spending matters under the U.S. Constitution.
“Who is this unelected billionaire that he can attempt to dismantle federal agencies?” said Democratic Representative Gerry Connolly, whose effort to subpoena Musk was blocked by Republicans in the House of Representatives.
Trump’s fellow Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress, have cheered his overhaul and have shown no interest in stopping it.
“It’s not a power grab,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said at a press conference. “I think they’re doing what we’ve all expected and hoped and asked that they would do for years.”
Labor unions that represent federal employees have sued to block Trump’s buyout offer, which claims to pay workers until Sept. 30, saying his administration lacks legal authority and can’t guarantee it will be funded.
“What is happening today is not a drive to streamline government but to destroy it,” Everett Kelly, head of the American Federation of Government Employees, told a congressional hearing.
(Reporting by Tim Reid, Ned Parker, Valerie Volcovici, Andy Sullivan, Ahmed Aboulenein, Richard Cowan, Gabriella Borter, David Shepardson and Nandita Bose; Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Ross Colvin, Aurora Ellis and Leslie Adler)
