A federal judge has temporarily blocked a buyout program for federal employees just hours before the application deadline on Thursday, Feb. 6. This buyout, initiated by an executive order under former President Donald Trump, affects thousands of government employees working in various federal departments across Missouri and Kansas.
Federal employees had until midnight on Thursday to accept the buyout offer, which promised to pay them until October. The federal government is a major employer in the Kansas City region, with approximately 29,000 workers in the area. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated that 40,000 employees across the U.S. had already accepted the buyout offer.
Military personnel and postal service employees were not eligible for the program. The newly formed Department of Government Efficiency promoted the buyout as a free vacation, but some employees expressed scepticism. The Associated Press quoted one worker saying that the offer “sounded a little bit too good to be true.”
In Missouri, 37,574 federal employees across different departments were eligible for the buyout. The state has over 450,000 government employees working at the state, local, and federal levels, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Office of Personnel Management. In Kansas, 17,888 federal employees were eligible out of a total of 260,400 government workers in the state.
The largest federal employers in Missouri include the Department of Veterans Affairs, which employs 12,227 people, operates five hospitals and four cemeteries and provides benefits for veterans. The Department of the Treasury has 6,077 employees and oversees agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service and the Alcohol and Tobacco Trade Bureau.
The Department of Agriculture, with 2,993 employees, conducts research and food safety inspections. The Social Security Administration employs 2,417 workers responsible for distributing benefits to retirees and people with disabilities. The Department of Homeland Security has 1,116 employees working in agencies like the TSA, ICE, and immigration services.
Kansas’s largest federal employers include the Department of Veterans Affairs, employing 5,897 people while operating three hospitals and five cemeteries and administering veterans’ benefits. The Department of Agriculture has 1,576 employees working in food safety and research.
The Department of Transportation employs 735 workers who oversee air, highway, and rail travel. The Environmental Protection Agency has 556 employees focused on pollution cleanup and ensuring safe drinking water. The Department of the Interior employs 424 people managing national parks and Native American affairs.
The temporary block on the buyout has created uncertainty for thousands of federal employees in Missouri and Kansas, leaving them waiting for further decisions on their employment status.
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Benjamin Ford is a dedicated local journalist passionate about reporting on community news, events, politics, crime, and finance. With a sharp eye for detail and a commitment to uncovering impactful stories, he provides in-depth analysis and timely updates on issues that matter to the local audience. Benjamin enjoys engaging with the community and staying informed on emerging trends when he’s not covering the latest developments.
