(CNN) — Eligible federal workers must decide by 11:59 pm ET on Thursday whether to take the Trump administration’s deferred resignation offer, which will allow them to leave their jobs but be paid through the end of September.
At least 40,000 employees have already accepted the package, an administration official told CNN Wednesday.
The offer is a sweeping effort by the administration to shrink the size of the federal workforce and presents many employees with a tough decision about their careers and futures.
While an Office of Personnel Management spokesperson described the offer as “a rare, generous opportunity,” it also contains a warning: Those who don’t opt in are at risk of losing their jobs. The administration is planning widespread layoffs soon, two officials have told CNN.
Federal unions, however, have strongly urged members not to accept the package, questioning its legality and the ability of the Trump administration to follow through on its promises.
The American Federation of Government Employees and several other unions filed a lawsuit in US District Court in Massachusetts on Tuesday seeking a temporary restraining order to halt the February 6 deadline. The unions also want to “require the government to articulate a policy that is lawful, rather than an arbitrary, unlawful, short-fused ultimatum which workers may not be able to enforce.”
A hearing on the case is scheduled for 1 pm Thursday.
The 40,000 figure represents about 2% of the roughly 2 million federal employees who received the incentive. The White House has said its target is for between 5% and 10% of employees to resign.
The administration expects a big spike in workers taking the package in the final 24 to 48 hours before the deadline, an OPM spokesperson said. Employees have communicated their acceptances of the offer by responding to OPM’s email outlining the initiative and through direct conversations with their agency managers.
Certain federal workers –…