CONTROVERSIAL FEDERAL WORKER BUYOUT PLAN SPARKS NATIONAL DEBATE

The “deferred resignation program” lands like a test of loyalty disguised as a choice. On paper, it’s generous: full pay and benefits for months in exchange for walking away quietly by February 6. But behind the numbers is a deeper question: who feels safe enough to stay, and who feels cornered into leaving? With only a sliver of D.C. employees reportedly returning to offices, the administration is framing this as a reset of a bloated, remote-heavy bureaucracy.