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"...there were too many red flags, such as a clause waiving the right to sue if the government failed to honor its side of the deal."
That's not a red flag. That's an absolute show-stopper. A contract that allows one party to choose whether or not to perform its side of the deal, while binding the other party, is legally not a contract.
No federal worker should even consider this, particularly in light of whom that other party is, and his history of not paying people.
@Professor_Stevens He owns the courts by proxy, and is both a billionaire (for now) with an army of lawfare, and a defacto government official (also, for now). It's alarming anyone would think he even needs this contract to screw everyone over.
@Professor_Stevens
Congress controls the purse, so unless this $$$ is in a budget somewhere, this is absolutely a con. And is it really an offer from USG, or not? Because Elon/DOGE is not USG. Prove me wrong. Show me the documents.
Has there been a CBO score? How are they paying for this?
@SueDiOh @Professor_Stevens I called this as soon as this scheme broke. That mother fucker still hasn't paid the Twitter workers he agreed to pay severance. The Nazi has no authority to make this offer nor does trump.
@Professor_Stevens
Not sure what is being "debated" about the offer.
There is no guarantee that anyone who accepts it will actually be paid. From what I understand, anyone who resigns has no legal recourse if things go wrong later. No lawyer here, but would that stipulation stand in court?
Only 40K employees have taken the offer, less than 2% of the federal workforce. Highly doubt that there will be a last minute rush to get onboard.
Barbara, where did you get that 40K number? That would be a useful source for us all to have.
Thanks in advance.
@Professor_Stevens
It was mentioned in several articles this morning.
Here's one from Forbes.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2025/02/06/trumps-federal-buyout-offer-expires-today-as-over-40000-staff-agree-to-leave-heres-what-to-know/
That's good stuff. Goes back to NBC, who cites an unnamed source in OPM and confirmation from the White House. Of course, this is the same NBC that bent the knee to Trump and paid him to settle a lawsuit they would have won, but it's better than Fox News.
@Professor_Stevens It may be a while before we know real numbers, if we ever do.
The last trump term taught me that sometimes the only plausible information we'll receive will be from leaks or anonymous sources. That's far from ideal, but at times, the only recourse is to rely on journalists and media we have found reliable in the past.
Alas, the media I found reliable in the past has mostly sold out. WaPo caved to Bezos's bended knee. NBC, and now CBS, are paying Trump money because of reporting he didn't like. And, of course, internet memes are everywhere, mixing facts with half-truths that get repeated so often, people can't tell which is which.
The Guardian and The Times of India are the outlets I still like. But, often, all they can do is repeat what others have reported.
Skepticism is our new best friend.
@Professor_Stevens
Totally agree. I have not trusted network TV since the run up to the war on Iraq. Cut the cable in 2003 and have never regretted it. I favor international news sources myself.
Cancelled subscriptions to NYT and WAPO some time ago. Dumped LA Times last year.
There are specific journalists whom I trust, but am still cautious, and attempt to verify news with more than one source.
@Professor_Stevens I wish you could double boost.
@Professor_Stevens I’m kind of of two minds about this. On one hand, it’s clearly as shady as all get out. On the other, if the buyout selects for people that still take Trump/Musk at their word, how bad for the federal workforce is it, exactly?
Kind of like the old saw about putting your faith in a jury composed of people who couldn't get out of jury duty, isn't it?
(Actually, it really is hard to get out of jury duty, but the concept still applies.)
@Professor_Stevens " is legally not a contract."
I just realized - this "buyout" is a Nigerian Prince scam variant
That is a very close comparison in many ways.
@Professor_Stevens Given tRump's propensity to reneg on deals, I hope federal workers do not fall for this scam.