We weren’t born to waste our lives away on the job. 😒 We were born to roll around in a nice pool, take frequent naps, and bite whoever gets in our way. Oh wait, that’s actually Moo Deng. 🦛
With the help of Elon Musk and the DOGE team, the Trump administration has a goal to cut spending and squash bureaucracy. ✂️ One of the ways they’re doing so is through offering buyouts to federal workers. Let’s look at how that could impact the Keystone State. 👇
Here’s Five Fast Facts on the federal worker buyout:
- 🧮 Tally It Up - In Pennsylvania, the federal government is the state’s largest employer with roughly 66,000 workers. The Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system is a top employer (around 3,000 full time workers).
- 💼 Top Jobs - Other top federal employers in PA include FEMA and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which employs around 15,000 workers. Thousands are also working in the PA branches of federal law enforcement agencies like the DEA, the FBI, and Customs and Border Protection.
- ⚖️ Order, Order - How will the buyouts impact Pennsylvania courts? PA’s three federal courts also employ several thousand workers. Right now, officials don’t believe there will be any fallout, but they’re “waiting on further guidance.”
- 📑 Fine Print - What’s in the buyout plan? In exchange for their resignation, the plan promises eight months’ worth of pay and benefits through September. However, critics of the buyouts have their reservations. For one, the federal government isn’t funded past March 14th. Those who don’t take the buyout will also be subject to new performance standards and will have to return to in-person work.
- 🪣 Drop in the Bucket - So far, almost 80,000 federal workers nationwide accepted Trump’s buyout offers. That might seem like a huge number, but it’s small potatoes compared to the number of federal workers overall. Right now, there are roughly 3 million workers on the federal payroll.
🔥Bottom line: The Trump administration sure is getting right to work. Although some of his moves are controversial, we can all agree he’s shaking things up. What else is on his list? Getting rid of the penny. Yep, you heard that right. Catch up on what’s going on with our fave copper-colored coin in this article.
Were you impacted by the federal worker buyout?
Let us know by connecting with us on Facebook and Instagram! Also, remember to share this newsletter with your friends & coworkers!
Btw, If you’ve read this far and haven’t yet signed up for the weekly Paycheckology newsletter, CLICK HERE!
