Interior offers employee buyouts as job cuts loom
The Interior Department will offer buyouts to some employees as it eyes major staffing cuts.
In a notice obtained by The Hill, employees were told that they could apply for voluntary early retirement or voluntary separations at the agency.
It said that employees who take the buyout would be given money in a lump sum totaling no more than their total severance package or $25,000 – whichever is less.
Staffers at the department will have a little more than a week to apply.
An Interior Department spokesperson declined to comment on the buyouts specifically, but acknowledged an effort to reduce staff broadly.
“Under President Donald J. Trump’s leadership, the Department is working to right-size the federal workforce, cut bureaucratic waste, and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently,” the spokesperson said in an email.
“By streamlining operations and reducing unnecessary positions, we are strengthening our ability to serve the public while making government more effective and accountable,” they added. “We will continue working with the Office of Personnel Management and other agencies to implement cost-saving measures that put taxpayers first while ensuring the responsible stewardship of America’s natural and cultural resources.”
It’s not clear whether a significant number of staffers will opt to take the buyouts. But, they’re coming as massive layoffs loom.
It’s not entirely clear how many of the Interior Department’s 70,000 employees will be cut, but The Hill first reported that the National Park Service is considering a 30 percent cut to its payroll.
It comes after the broader Trump administration previously offered staff a "fork in the road" deal for eight months of pay and benefits.
The latest buyouts were first reported by Government Executive and E&E News.