President Donald Trump said his administration called out the hundreds of thousands of federal workers who do not show up to work, saying it was time to drain “the swamp.”
“We have hundreds of thousands of federal workers who have not been showing up to work,” Trump said while speaking at the U.S. Capitol Tuesday night. “My administration will reclaim power from this unaccountable bureaucracy, and we will restore true democracy to America again.
“And any federal bureaucrat who resists this change will be removed from office immediately,” he added. “Because we are draining the swamp. It’s very simple. And the days of rule by unelected bureaucrats are over.”
The Trump administration offered buyouts for nearly two million federal employees, including those who work remotely, as part of Trump’s efforts to get employees back into the office. Originally they only had until Feb. 6 to opt in.
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Under the buyout offer, employees will stop working early March and receive pay benefits through Sept. 30.
The White House confirmed to Fox News Digital that numbers had climbed to 75,000 as of Thursday morning.
It previously said it expected 200,000 people to accept the offer.
During Trump’s first week in office, he issued several directives to the federal workforce, including a requirement that remote employees must return to in-person work.
The American Federation of Government Employees and two other unions filed a complaint, claiming the buyout offer was “arbitrary and capricious” and violates federal law.
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The unions allege the administration cannot guarantee the plan will be funded and has failed to consider the consequences of mass resignations, including how it may affect the government’s ability to function.
