‘No recourse available’: Confusion spreads at Education Department amid buyout deadline

USA TODAY

Zachary Schermele

February 6, 2025

WASHINGTON – A day before the Trump administration’s deadline for federal workers to resign, staffers at the U.S. Department of Education were told that taking a buyout would prevent them from seeking recourse if they don’t get the severance pay they’ve been promised.

At an agency-wide town hall Wednesday, employees were confused by answers to their questions about the so-called “deferred resignation program.” A copy of the agreement shows the offer promises full pay and benefits through Sept. 30 to those who quit by Thursday.

But top Education Department officials at the meeting suggested that employees who took the buyout and did not get severance wouldn’t be able to fight back, according to a summary of the meeting shared by people in attendance.

“Let’s say I accept tomorrow, and you rescind the agreement, fire me, and stop paying me on Friday,” one employee asked. “I, or anyone who accepts this program, would have no recourse available.”

“Yes, that’s correct,” replied Jacqueline Clay, the department’s chief human resources officer.

The department did not immediately respond on Thursday to a request for comment about the remarks made at the town hall meeting. A federal judge temporarily paused the buyout deadline Thursday to allow for legal challenges and set a court hearing on the matter for Monday.

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