- Details
- By Brian Edwards
- Policy and Law
The Department of the Interior (DOI) has begun offering buyouts to employees as part of the Trump administration's efforts to reduce the federal workforce, according to media reports.
Interior employees can apply for voluntary early retirement or separation with payments up to $25,000, according to a story in Government Executive, which first reported the buyouts on Monday. Staff have until March 26 to accept offers and must separated by May 31 if approved.
An Interior spokesperson told Tribal Business News the department aims to "right-size the federal workforce" and reduce bureaucratic waste under President Trump's direction. The changes would improve public service while maintaining stewardship of natural and cultural resources, the spokesperson said.
The voluntary separation incentive program was reportedly authorized by the Office of Personnel Management as Interior prepares for potential reductions in force.
Certain essential positions at Interior have been excluded from the buyout offers, including wildland firefighters, cybersecurity specialists, and employees working on energy-related permitting, according to reporting by Bloomberg Law.
The Interior Department, which employs nearly 70,000 people, oversees federal lands, natural resources and Native American affairs. An estimated 2,300 employees were let go in mid-February, while further reductions are expected to continue across the department.
The National Park Service has been particularly affected, with approximately 1,000 probationary employees fired and at least 700 year-round staff already accepting buyouts, according to reporting by the New York Times. These changes represent about 9% of the NPS workforce. Despite these reductions, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said NPS planned to rehire thousands of seasonal workers.
Earlier this month, U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, both Democrats from California, raised concerns about workforce cuts at another Interior agency. In a letter to Secretary Burgum dated March 7, the senators urged Interior to halt further staff reductions at the Bureau of Reclamation, particularly in California where approximately 100 employees—10 percent of regional staff—are set to lose their jobs.
“Any federal dollars ‘saved’ from a reduction in staffing will ultimately cost taxpayers more through disrupted supply chains, increased burdens on state taxpayers, and emergency response due to the instability created by these reductions,” the senators wrote.
