7 Percent of DOT Workforce Take Early Buyouts

Approximately 7% of the Department of Transportation's workforce has participated in a voluntary buyout offer of deferred resignation made by the Trump administration.

Employees who accepted the administration's "fork in the road" offer included 4.5% at the Federal Aviation Administration, 33% at the Federal Transit Administration, 28% at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and 26% at the Federal Highway Administration, Politico reported Thursday, according to data it reviewed.

The DOT in April reportedly notified staff they had until April 7 to accept the "strictly voluntary" buyout offer under the deferred resignation program. Employees who chose to participate would receive their salaries through Sept. 30 without being required to report to work. Participants also were protected from being terminated through an "involuntary separation, such as reduction in force."

Positions the agency has deemed crucial for safety — including air traffic controllers, railroad safety inspectors, and motor carrier safety specialists — were excluded from the offer.

Newsmax reached out to the DOT for comment.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy offered no details to reporters Thursday on whether he is considering fresh staff reductions as part of President Donald Trump's push to reduce the size of the federal government.

"If we have bloat in certain areas, we'll reduce force," Duffy said, according to Politico. "There might be certain areas we have to rehire back into, and we'll do that. ... We feel good where we're at right now, but we'll continue to assess where we're at with our staffing needs."

Of the DOT's 56,989 employees as of earlier this month, 4,127 have taken the deferred resignation offers, according to the data, given to Politico by a person who was granted anonymity because they are not authorized to speak with the media.

At the FAA, which had 46,288 employees as of July 7, 2,080 chose the deferred resignation offers. The agency accounts for 81.2% of the DOT's workforce.

Here are the number of employees who have taken the deferred resignation offer at other agencies under the DOT's umbrella:

• FTA: 249, or 32.7%.
• NHTSA: 214, or 27.8%.
• FHWA: 760, or about 26%.
• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration: 169, or 13.7%.
• Federal Railroad Administration: 165, or 14%.
• Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration: 85, or 13.1%.

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