Historic Exodus: Over 100,000 Federal Workers Set to Quit Amid Deep Cuts and Shutdown Threat

September 28, 2025 9:23 PM

Historic Exodus: Over 100,000 Federal Workers Set to Quit Amid Deep Cuts and Shutdown Threat

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The US federal government is braced for what is expected to be the largest mass resignation in American history on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, as a key deadline for the administration’s workforce reduction program arrives. Over 100,000 federal employees are scheduled to formally quit under the latest phase of the controversial Deferred Resignation Program (DRP).

This mass exit coincides with a looming government shutdown deadline, forcing Congress to scramble to authorize new funding by Tuesday. The White House has dramatically escalated the pressure by instructing agencies to draft plans for large-scale firings if a funding deal is not reached.

‘Forced’ Out By Fear and Intimidation

Many employees who accepted the DRP—which granted them full pay and benefits while on administrative leave for up to eight months—claim they were effectively forced out.

A former employee at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) stated, “Federal workers stay for the mission. When that mission is taken away, when they’re scapegoated, when their job security is uncertain… they leave.”
An archaeologist and veteran with the Department of Agriculture (USDA) said they took the offer out of “fear and intimidation,” citing comments from a top administration official who advocated putting bureaucrats “in trauma.”
A Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) worker described the decision as a “huge grieving process” and a “mental health decision,” noting the prior months of 60 to 70-hour work weeks.

The total projected number of departures through the various separation, attrition, and early retirement programs is around 275,000 employees, marking the largest single-year decline in the civilian federal workforce since World War II.

Political and Economic Fallout

The administration defends the program, claiming the workforce reduction is necessary for efficiency. A spokesperson stated the plan will ultimately save the government $28 billion annually. However, a Senate Democrats’ report estimated the DRP alone would cost $14.8 billion to cover the payouts for 200,000 workers.

The departing federal workers are entering an uncertain labor market, with the national unemployment rate hitting 4.3% in August 2025, the highest level since 2021.

Federal labor unions have filed a lawsuit challenging the DRP, arguing that the program bypasses congressional authority and that the offers should not be viewed as voluntary given the atmosphere of threatened firings. A union president warned that the purge will have “vast, unintended consequences that will cause chaos for the Americans who depend on a functioning federal government.”