By Tim Reid, Nathan Layne, David Shepardson and Andy Sullivan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Trump administration ramped up pressure on U.S. government workers on Thursday to accept a buyout offer ahead of a midnight deadline as labor unions urged members to remain in their jobs and sought to block the proposal in court.
In early-morning emails, the administration emphasized that the offer expires at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (0459 GMT Friday) and said those who do not accept it could still lose their jobs.
"At this time, we cannot give you full assurance regarding the certainty of your position," the message read, according to a copy seen by Reuters.
President Donald Trump's unprecedented drive to drastically cut the U.S. civil service has roiled Washington, sparking street protests and raising legal questions over whether he is overstepping his powers as president.
Unions representing federal workers have warned members that the "deferred resignation program" may violate multiple laws and have sued to block it. A federal judge is due to consider their request at 1 p.m. Eastern time (1800 GMT).
More than 40,000 federal employees had accepted the buyout offer as of Wednesday night, according to a source, although Reuters was not able to independently verify that number.
That represents about 2% of the federal government's 2.3 million civilian workforce. Roughly 6% of federal workers retire or resign in a typical year, according to the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service.
The offer promises to pay employees' salaries until October, but it may not be ironclad. The Education Department told staffers who accept it that their paychecks could stop at any time, media outlets reported.
Current spending laws expire on March 14 and there is no guarantee that salaries may be funded beyond that point. Some pointed to Trump's record of not paying business partners during his career as a New York property developer.
"They are notorious for not following through on their actions ... especially when it comes to paying people," said one worker at the Food and Drug Administration who said he would not accept the offer.
The buyout encompasses not only employees at domestic agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency that have traditionally drawn the ire of Trump's Republicans, but intelligence agencies like the CIA as well.
Air traffic controllers at the understaffed Federal Aviation Administration are exempt, and some at the Internal Revenue Service will not be eligible until May 15, after the busy tax-filing season, according to a message to staff seen by Reuters.
MUSK SPEARHEADING EFFORTS
Trump has made his South African-born billionaire adviser Elon Musk, the world's richest person, a "special government employee" and tasked him with overseeing a sweeping effort to remake the government.
Musk's "Department of Government Efficiency" has been operating out of the White House, but the quasi-governmental group appears to be going beyond executive orders that had suggested a more advisory role.
Musk and his aides have moved rapidly, turning up at agencies throughout Washington to demand access to sensitive information, including personnel files. Their efforts have resulted in purges of staff in several departments and a significant scaling down of operations of America's main humanitarian aid agency, the U.S. Agency for International Development.
CLIMATE OF FEAR
Federal workers say they are operating in a climate of fear and uncertainty.
"The mood is nobody is coming to save us," said an employee at the General Services Agency, which manages federal properties, adding that some managers had broken down in tears on phone calls with staff.
More cuts are likely. A White House memo ordered officials to identify those appointed by Trump's predecessor, former President Joe Biden, who remain in civil-service jobs.
Workers said they were downloading pay and benefit records that they feared could be erased from government computers as they weighed whether to take a buyout deal that might not be honored or stay on with the knowledge they could be fired.
"In the halls most people are stopping to ask one another what their decision will be, with many people saying they are scared because we are caught between two bad choices and very little time to make the decision," said one Treasury Department executive.
The White House says it is following through on Trump's campaign promise to cut wasteful spending and slim down a bureaucracy that many conservatives see as left-leaning and unresponsive to the president's agenda.
Musk has vowed to slash the $6.7 trillion federal budget, but his options are limited by Trump's vow to protect the popular Social Security and Medicare retirement and health benefit programs, which account for roughly one-third of spending and are projected to grow dramatically as the population ages.
Nevertheless, Musk's team has been examining Medicare payments and an employee of the Social Security Administration said headquarters were closed to all but essential personnel.
The U.S. Constitution gives Congress authority over government spending, not the president, but Republicans who control both chambers have cheered the effort.
(Reporting by Tim Reid, Nathan Layne, Mike Stone, Maggie Fick, Richard Cowan, Gabriella Borter, Alexandra Ulmer, Ned Parker, Nathan Layne and Andy Sullivan; Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Ross Colvin, Mark Porter and Marguerita Choy)
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