Trump Administration Asks Federal Employees for 'Voluntary Retirement'... Bureaucratic Confusion

The U.S. Donald Trump administration caused confusion in the American bureaucracy by sending emails to about 3 million federal employees, asking them to voluntarily choose whether to retire.

According to U.S. media on the 29th (local time), the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sent an email the previous day to about 3 million federal employees stating that if they express their intention to retire, they would be exempt from the obligation to return to the office and guaranteed up to eight months of salary. This measure came just ten days after President Trump's inauguration.

OPM instructed employees to decide whether to participate in the "Retirement Deferral Program" by the 6th of next month. Employees who participate are guaranteed employment until September 30, with all salaries and benefits maintained. The requirement for in-person work is waived.

Those who do not retire were warned that they could face dismissal, job reassignment, or adjustments such as leave.

The U.S. daily Washington Post (WP) reported that federal employees are in a state of confusion over this measure. A national park ranger expressed concern that colleagues might quit in addition to the already reduced staff, and a Department of Health and Human Services lawyer worried about having to leave a job they considered stable.

One employee told the British daily The Guardian that OPM's mention of applying "enhanced standards of conduct" and loyalty in the email was perceived as a "threat." He stated that it is natural for federal employees to maintain integrity and uphold higher standards of conduct.

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