White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt rejected claims that the Trump administration’s federal worker buyout offers were meant to purge critics of the president. The buyout, part of Trump’s plan to cut government spending, offered workers paid benefits until September if they resigned by February 6. Leavitt called the policy “overwhelmingly popular” outside of Washington, D.C., stating it simply encouraged workers to return to their jobs or resign with benefits. She emphasized that this was not a purge but a plan to ensure federal workers return to work and make use of empty office spaces. The buyout is available to most federal employees, excluding military, postal service, and national security roles. Some unions criticized the move as harmful to federal workers.