U.S. Transportation Department Faces Wave of Buyout Applications

Approximately 4,000 employees from the U.S. Transportation Department have applied for a new buyout offer providing pay and benefits until September 30. This offer excludes roles crucial to public safety, like air traffic controllers. The initiative, supported by Elon Musk’s DOGE team, aims to trim the federal workforce.

Up to 4,000 employees at the U.S. Transportation Department have submitted applications for a buyout package that extends pay and benefits until the end of September, according to an official source who spoke to Reuters. This figure remains provisional as some applicants might be ineligible, or others could have mistakenly registered multiple times.

Introduced last week, the offer excludes critical public safety roles, including Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers and aviation, railroad, pipeline, and hazardous materials safety inspectors, along with cybersecurity personnel. The department, overseeing approximately 57,000 personnel, made this move as part of a broader government-wide initiative to reduce workforce numbers.

This latest offer follows an earlier wave in February, where 75,000 federal employees accepted buyouts, an effort led by Elon Musk's DOGE team. The initiative aims to streamline federal operations, although safety roles have been excluded following critiques of earlier plans that targeted essential positions. Meanwhile, the FAA is actively seeking to increase its air traffic controller staff this year.

(With inputs from agencies.)