Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) is warning federal employees not to cave to President Donald Trump’s offer of a buyout that would give workers about eight months’ salary if they leave their jobs next week.
“He’ll stiff you,” Kaine said on the Senate floor.
Contractors who’ve worked for Trump and Trump’s companies have frequently reported struggles getting paid. In 2016, USA Today reported on some 3,500 legal actions against Trump over pay disputes with contractors and others.
Now, Trump is offering to pay federal workers to leave ― but only if they act fast and resign next week.
“Don’t be fooled,” Kaine said. “He’s tricked hundreds of people with that offer. If you accept that offer and resign he’ll stiff you just like he stiffed the contractors.”
He added that Trump doesn’t have the authority to even make that offer ― and anyone who takes him up on it is taking a huge risk.
“There’s no budget line item to pay people who are not showing up for work,” Kaine said.
The offer, which was sent Tuesday by the Office of Personnel Management, also implied that workers who don’t take the offer could face layoffs as it warned that “the majority of federal agencies are likely to be downsized.”