IRS Employees Who Took Trump 'Buyout' Ordered to Stay, Told Their Work Is Too 'Essential'

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees who accepted the Trump administration's buyout and opted for deferred resignation have been asked by their employers to continue working for a few months due to the "essential" nature of their jobs, according to a report.

IRS employees who opted for the Office of Personnel Management's offer of "deferred resignation" have been told that their jobs are "essential" and that they must continue to work until May 15.

"I want the deal that OPM offered," an IRS employee told Federal News Network. "If I can't have that deal, I guess it'll be four months [paid leave]. But my question now is, come May 15, is that even a viable option?"

Last week, the OPM sent out a memo to millions of federal employees, who were offered eight months of severance pay if they voluntarily left their positions within the government by February 6. If they chose to stay in their positions, the memo warned them of ominous future downsizing.

"If you choose to remain in your current position, we thank you for your renewed focus on serving the American people to the best of your abilities and look forward to working together as part of an improved federal workforce," said the memo. "At this time, we cannot give you full assurance regarding the certainty of your position or agency but should your position be eliminated you will be treated with dignity and will be afforded the protections in place for such positions."

Thousands of federal employees accepted OPM's offer, but have now become increasingly dubious of whether or not the offer will be implemented. On Tuesday, OPM sent the heads of federal agencies a contract template in which they stated that federal employees who accepted the deal would be placed on administrative leave beginning March 1.

However, OPM's frequently asked questions page states that employees would not have to continue working during the deferred resignation period.

Furthermore, OPM's FAQ page informs federal employees that the offer is not available to "military personnel of the armed forces, employees of the U.S. Postal Service, those in positions related to immigration enforcement and national security, those in positions related to public safety, and those in other positions specifically excluded by your employing agency."

"It proves that the terms of OPM's so-called offer are unreliable and cannot be trusted," said Doreen Greenwald, national president of the National Treasury Employees Union.

"We do welcome the admission, however, that IRS employees are vital to the agency mission," she continued. "By requiring IRS employees to stay on the job longer than promised, the administration is proving what NTEU has been saying all along: IRS employees are essential and without them, the jobs that the American people depend upon will not get done. In the case of the IRS, it's answering taxpayer questions during filing season, processing tax returns and issuing refunds. But this holds true for frontline federal employees across government who safeguard the public health, promote economic growth and secure the nation. If their jobs are arbitrarily eliminated, those services are in jeopardy."