More than 50,000 at these federal agencies in Kansas, Missouri face uncertainty on buyouts
On Thursday, Feb. 6, a federal judge temporarily blocked a buyout of federal workers hours before the deadline to apply. Instituted by an executive order by Donald Trump, the buyout affects the thousands of government employees in Missouri and Kansas, who work in a variety of federal departments.
Federal employees had until midnight on Thursday to accept the offer, which was said to pay employees until October.
The federal government is considered to be one of the Kansas City region’s major employers, with approximately 29,000 workers.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said 40,000 people had agreed to the offer across the U.S.
Individuals working for the military or the postal service were not eligible for the buyout.
While the newly established Department of Government Efficiency advertised the offer as a free vacation, the AP quoted a worker who said it “sounded a little bit too good to be true.”
In Missouri, there were 37,574 federal employees in departments eligible for the buyout, in a state with more than 450,000 government workers across state, local and federal administration, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Office of Personnel Management.
Kansas has 17,888 federal workers that might be eligible, part of a total of 260,400 government workers.
Here are the largest federal employers on both sides of the state line, from the Office of Personnel Management. The information is current as of March 2024, the most recent report.
Missouri’s biggest federal employers
The Department of Veterans Affairs employs 12,227 and operates five hospitals across the state, runs four cemeteries and administers veterans benefits.
The Department of the Treasury employs 6,077 and operates the Internal Revenue Service and the Alcohol and Tobacco Trade Bureau, among other things.
The Department of Agriculture employs 2,993 and conducts agriculture research and food safety inspections.
The Social Security Administration employs 2,417 and distributes Social Security payments to retirees and people with disabilities.
The Department of Homeland Security employs 1,116 in agencies including the TSA, ICE and immigration services.
Kansas’ biggest federal employers
The Department of Veterans Affairs employs 5,897 and runs three hospitals and five cemeteries and administers veterans benefits.
The Department of Agriculture employs 1,576, conducting agriculture research and food safety inspections.
The Department of Transportation employs 735 and oversees air, highway and rail travel.
The Environmental Protection Agency employs 556. The agency works to clean up polluted sites and ensure safe drinking water.
The Department of the Interior employs 424 in running national parks and handling relationships with Native American tribes.
This story was originally published February 7, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
