White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt underscored the need for federal workers to return to work in person, claiming that taxpayers are paying for offices that are not even being used.

The Trump administration has offered deferred resignation to nearly all federal workers who do not wish to return to in-person work and is expecting 5% to 10% of the federal workforce to accept this offer. Leavitt stressed that it is not meant to be a purge but rather a “suggestion” for workers to return to the office or be “very generously” paid by the government if they decide by next week to resign effective Sept. 30.