Scoop: 20,000 federal workers have taken buyout offer, official says

About 20,000 federal workers have accepted the "buyout" offer put forward by the Trump administration last week, a senior administration official tells Axios.

It's a significant number of people — about 1% of the federal workforce — but still substantially less than the White House's target of 5% to 10%.

The offer is open through Thursday, meaning the total could rise, despite heavy opposition from unions and others.

Aside from the pace of resignations, the official said, the administration is still trying to implement a hiring freeze. It has proven trickier than expected because some agencies are still taking on new workers.

Critics argue the offer is illegal, there's no real guarantee people will get paid out, and it's something Congress would need to authorize. The administration rejects those assertions and says it's following through on a promise to restructure the federal government.

The federal workforce's normal attrition rate is about 6% a year, meaning some of those who've taken the buyout may have been planning to leave government service anyway.