Trump administration's buyout offer accepted by at least 20,00 federal employees: Report

Around 20,000 federal employees have accepted US President Donald Trump's buyout offer, which allows employees to be paid through Sept. 30 and leave their jobs now if they do not wish to return to the office.

According to a senior official speaking to the Axios news website, the 20,000 federal workers, about 1% of the federal workforce, agreed to the offer.

Axios said the number of employees agreeing to the buyout could rise as the administration wants a larger number of people to leave the federal workforce.

Federal workers are given until Feb. 6 -- Trump's deadline to return to in-office work -- to send a "deferred resignation letter" accepting the deal.

In a separate post by The Hill, more than 1,000 employees at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could be facing immediate firings.

Citing an email sent by EPA official Kimberly Patrick, the report said that the email notified employees who are "likely on a probationary/trial period."

The email, which said, "As a probationary/trial period employee, the agency has the right to immediately terminate you," comes amid the Trump administration offered buyouts to nearly 2 million federal employees to leave the government.