US Army Corps of Engineers offers buyouts to some civilian staff
PHOTO CAPTION: A contractor of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers carries cables as the island's fragile power system is still reeling from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria eight months ago, in Utuado, Puerto Rico May 17, 2018. REUTERS/Alvin Baez
(Reuters) - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Wednesday began notifying 1,068 employees, representing about 3% of its civilian workforce, of their eligibility for the Trump administration's buyout program for federal workers, a spokesperson said.
The affected employees perform a range of job roles and are located in offices worldwide, Army Corps spokesperson Gene Pawlik said in an email.
The Army Corps is a branch of the U.S. military that builds and permits infrastructure. Unlike some other agencies, it has not been required yet to lay off probationary workers, Pawlik said.
The vast majority of Army Corps employees are civilians.
The administration's "deferred resignation program" allows federal employees to remain on the payroll through Sept. 30 without having to work in person, and possibly having their duties reduced or eliminated in the meantime.
The financial incentive to quit has been offered to millions of federal workers as part of Trump's plan to shrink the size of the U.S. government.
(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Nick Zieminski)
