Nearly 150,000 Federal Workers In CA Urged 'To Be Very Cautious'

CALIFORNIA — Nearly 150,000 federal employees living in California should refrain from President Donald Trump's "questionable buyout offer," according to the state's Attorney General Rob Bonta.

"Federal employees provide vital services that Americans rely on every day, and are an essential part of the California economy and communities across the state," Bonta said Monday. "The Trump Administration’s so-called buyout offer is a pointed attack aimed at dismantling our federal workforce and sowing chaos for Americans that rely on a functioning government. I urge federal employees to heed warnings from their unions to be very cautious of any buyout offers."

A week after the U.S. Office of Personnel Management sent millions of federal employees an email containing a "deferred resignation offer," the OPM, at the direction of Elon Musk and the Trump administration, has continued its email campaign to push people out. The OPM's "deferred resignation" program offers to continue paying federal employees through Sept. 30, 2025, if they resign by Feb. 6.

The latest figures from the Congressional Research Service show California had 147,487 federal civilian employees as of March 2024. Only the District of Columbia had more, with 162,144, according to the figures.

The future is unclear. For federal workers who choose to stay on, the deferred resignation program warns they are not guaranteed to keep their jobs.

Those who accept the offer are also at risk. Immediately following OPM’s first email that went out on January 28, unions representing federal employees warned their members against accepting the offer. The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal employees union, released information for its members warning them that employees who accepted the offer were not guaranteed its benefits. The National Federation of Federal Employees similarly warned its members against accepting the offer.

On Friday, Trump issued an executive order targeting union contracts in the federal government. His memo directed agencies to disapprove union contracts signed within the last 30 days of the Biden administration.

The American Federation of Government Employees alleges Trump has no authority to take such a move.

"Federal employees should know that approved union contracts are enforceable by law, and the president does not have the authority to make unilateral changes to those agreements," said AFGE President Everett Kelley. "AFGE members will not be intimidated. If our contracts are violated, we will aggressively defend them."

The union warns that employees may not get paid if they take the deferred resignation offer.

"There is not yet any evidence the administration can or will uphold its end of the bargain, that Congress will go along with this unilateral massive restructuring, or that appropriated funds can be used this way, among other issues that have been raised," AFGE said in an email message to members.

On Monday, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) joined other Democrats in demanding answers from Trump administration nominees and acting officials on the removal or reassignment of career law enforcement officials across the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Last week, the Trump Administration reportedly purged dozens of DOJ and FBI officials involved in prosecuting Trump and the January 6 rioters, and they are now threatening additional action against thousands of employees across the country who worked on investigations related to the attack on the Capitol. Some of the Jan. 6 investigations focused on California residents who were charged, convicted and pardoned by Trump.

In a Feb. 3 letter to Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi, FBI Director nominee Kash Patel, Deputy Attorney General nominee Todd Blanche, Acting Attorney General McHenry, and Acting FBI Director Driscoll, the senators said, "As America faces a heightened threat landscape, these shocking removals and reassignments deprive DOJ and the FBI of experienced, senior leadership and decades of experience fighting violent crime, espionage, and terrorism. ... We can only assume these decisions are intended to prevent the Department from investigating national security and public corruption, while also serving as political retribution against the President’s perceived enemies and stoking fear among the dedicated and talented workforce in our nation’s premier law enforcement agency."