Thousands of Federal Workers Find Mixed Emotions as Buyout Program Comes to an End, Leaving Uncertain Future Ahead

In Montgomery County, Maryland, federal employee Stephani Cherkaoui sits comfortably in her townhome, surrounded by her children’s artwork and her cat Dublin. After five months of reflection, she has come to terms with leaving her government career, choosing to accept the Trump administration’s “Fork in the Road” buyout offer.

Cherkaoui, who worked for the Agriculture Department (USDA) since 2020 as an instructional systems specialist, decided to speak candidly about her experiences with National Public Radio (NPR). She emphasizes that she does not represent the government in any capacity.

Her last day at work was April 18th, but Cherkaoui continues to receive regular paychecks and maintains health insurance for her family. For the first time in her career, she can simply live without worry.

“It’s a sense of relief that has come from an incredibly depressing situation,” Cherkaoui says. “I can finally breathe – it’s a feeling I’ve never experienced before, but there is still a lot of fear.”

Months of job hunting resulted in several interviews but no offers. The Trump administration initially presented the buyout as a generous offer, but Cherkaoui describes it differently: “I think it was fair for me personally – as an individual. For the American people? No, they were robbed.”

The Trump administration’s buyout program, announced in late January, offered federal employees the opportunity to resign and receive pay and benefits through September 30th. The initiative was modeled on a similar deal Elon Musk had created for Twitter employees. Many federal agencies reopened the offer in March and April as doubts over its legality subsided, leading to a quicker uptake from employees.

As the paid administrative leave period nears an end, many former government employees are grappling with mixed emotions, including regret, resentment, and resignation. Many admit they would not have left their posts if staying was an option.

Scott Kupor, director of the Office of Personnel Management, has spoken positively about the departures, stating that the team designing the buyout “did as much as they could to be appropriately generous and give people as long of a runway as they could to go transition into something new.” He believes this is an opportunity for a culture change within government agencies, where everyone constantly questions how things can be done better.

Cherkaoui joined the USDA in 2020 after serving in the Maryland Air National Guard and teaching public school. She managed training programs for around 9,000 employees of the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, ensuring that America’s meat, poultry, and eggs are safe to consume.

From the moment Trump was reelected, Cherkaoui felt uneasy about potential budget cuts impacting training programs. She declined the initial buyout offer in January but ultimately accepted a second round in April when her USDA managers foreshadowed major changes ahead, including possible mass layoffs and relocations.

“It was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make,” Cherkaoui says. “I hesitated for several days, but I knew it was the right choice.”

In the Midwest, a data analyst for the Transportation Department faced a similar dilemma. He accepted the buyout offer in April, worried about potential office lease terminations and relocations. While he initially expected changes to materialize, they never did, leaving him regretting his decision due to an unfulfilling new job and lost benefits.

The Trump administration’s buyout program affected employees at various stages of their careers, with some just starting out. Marie, a probationary employee at the Energy Department, was fired in February as part of the administration’s purge of new hires but temporarily reinstated by court order. Fearing another firing, she opted to resign during the second round of buyouts and give up her dream of working on energy policy at the national level.

The Energy Department ultimately did not fire its reinstated probationary employees, nor did it conduct mass layoffs of other workers as many had feared. A department spokesperson told NPR that approximately 3,000 employees participated in the deferred resignation program, representing about 20% of its workforce.

While some former federal employees have found success in new positions, others like Cherkaoui continue to struggle. The saturated job market in the Washington, D.C., area has made it difficult for her to secure employment despite her skills and relentless job search. She recently launched a consulting business, the Sajai Company, and landed her first contract. She is also pursuing a doctorate in human and organizational learning to further her career aspirations within the USDA.

Cherkaoui remains concerned about her fellow government employees who remain on the job, facing unprecedented challenges and uncertainty under the Trump administration.

“I love my country, and I can’t stand by and watch it be mistreated,” Cherkaoui says. “If you don’t speak up and criticize when things are going wrong, then you’re lost.”