Trump has for years criticized the federal bureaucracy, which he calls the "deep state," claiming civil servants are unaccountable because they are insulated from losing their jobs. The new order will give Trump the power to fire as many as 50,000 of those workers and replace them with political loyalists.

The largest union for government employees sued the Trump administration to block an executive order that strips federal workers of job protections.

The buyouts are for all full-time federal employees except for military personnel, U.S. Postal Service employees and those in positions related to immigration enforcement and national security.