Approximately 75,000 federal employees have opted into President Donald Trump’s deferred resignation program, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The program, offered to over two million federal civilian employees in January, gave workers the choice of accepting a buyout or returning to in-person work.

Employees who accepted the “fork in the road” offer will continue receiving pay and benefits while being exempt from in-person work until September 30. The initiative is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to reduce the size of the federal workforce.

BREAKING: 75,000 federal workers have accepted President Trump's buyout offer, per Reuters

— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) February 13, 2025

“We have too many people,” Trump said at a press briefing Tuesday. “We have office spaces occupied by 4%—nobody showing up to work because they were told not to.”

The White House confirmed to Fox News Digital that 75,000 employees had accepted the offer as of Thursday morning, though initial projections estimated up to 200,000 participants.

The program faced legal challenges from labor unions, leading to a temporary injunction. However, U.S. District Judge George O’Toole of Massachusetts ruled Wednesday that the unions lacked standing to challenge the policy, stating they were not directly impacted.

“The unions do not have the required direct stake in the Fork Directive, but are challenging a policy that affects others, specifically executive branch employees,” O’Toole wrote. “This is not sufficient.”

Following the ruling, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the decision “the first of many legal wins for the president.”

“The court dissolved the injunction due to a lack of standing,” Leavitt said in a statement. “This goes to show that lawfare will not ultimately prevail over the will of 77 million Americans who supported President Trump and his priorities.”

The buyout program is one of several measures introduced by the Trump administration to reduce the federal workforce. On Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to collaborate with federal agencies on staffing reductions.

BREAKING — KAROLINE LEAVITT JUST CONFIRMED THAT 75,000 FEDERAL WORKERS HAVE ACCEPTED THE TRUMP BUYOUT.pic.twitter.com/Mpm0UqiEbi

— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) February 13, 2025

Under the order, agencies must limit new hiring to one employee for every four who leave and develop plans for large-scale workforce reductions. Agencies are also required to evaluate ways to eliminate or consolidate functions that are not legally mandated, according to a White House fact sheet.