On Politics

Tue Feb 4 2025

Rebecca Morin | Senior National News Reporter

@RebeccaMorin_

Hello! It's Rebecca Morin, senior national news reporter at USA TODAY. I've been binging Stranger Things… again. I hope the new season comes out this year.

Thousands of federal workers have taken Trump's buyout offer

At least 20,000 employees have accepted a buyout offer that President Donald Trump made to the entire federal workforce. That's just 1% of more than 2 million federal employees. The White House has a goal for 5% to 10% to accept buyouts. Last week, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management offered all federal employees eight months of pay and benefits through September if they resign by Feb 6.

It's "likely" that layoffs will happen if not enough employees take the buyout, Erv Koehler, assistant commissioner of general supplies and services at General Services Administration, wrote in an email to GSA staff, according to the Washington Post. Read more.

•	Watch: Federal workers fear layoffs after a Musk takeover

President Donald Trump is handed an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesday.

Anna Moneymaker, Getty Images

A politics pit stop

•	Colorado's Space Force military base used as staging area for immigration enforcement
•	Rubio: El Salvador has offered to jail US criminals and deportees of any nationality
•	Donald Trump Jr. accused of illegal duck hunting near Venice
•	Show of force at the border as Secretary of Defense pays an uncommon visit
•	Two weeks after leaving White House, Joe Biden signs with talent agency

RFK Jr. clears key Senate committee, moving Trump's HHS pick to full Senate

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is on the path to confirmation to be the nation's top health official. The Senate Finance Committee voted along party lines to send his controversial nomination to the full Senate. RFK Jr., who has faced intense scrutiny over his past anti-vaccine statements, his stance on abortion and his views on America's food, would lead the Department of Health and Human Services if confirmed by the Senate. Key votes within the Republican Party that could derail RFK Jr.'s confirmation have fallen in line with the GOP majority. Read more.

•	He's not the only polarizing nominee who was approved to get a full Senate vote. The Senate Intelligence Committee narrowly endorsed Tulsi Gabbard to become director of national intelligence.
•	Doug Collins confirmed to lead Veterans Affairs, aiming to cut red tape and provide care

The White House is mulling the Education Department's future. Trump has vowed to close it.

In the coming weeks, the Education Department could look a lot different. Donald Trump is considering steps to dismantle the Department of Education, with potential executive action coming as early as this month. Trump repeatedly pledged during the campaign trail to close the department. The president, however, doesn't have the authority to abolish the agency by executive order. Read more.