The No. 1 employer in Butler County has been making rapid changes for employees, stirring fear and a developing sense of job insecurity.

The employer in question? The federal government.

The return of President Donald Trump to office has seen immediate action toward federal employees, such as a return to office order, a policy that makes firing workers easier and a hiring freeze.

Then, on Jan. 28, civilian employees were emailed a buyout offer that was open until Thursday, Feb. 6, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management website. The offer promised continued pay and benefits through Sept. 30 to those who accept by the deadline.

According to the state Center for Workforce Information & Analysis the federal government employs 3,300 people in Butler County across dozens of agencies, including local OPM and Veterans Affairs offices.

The email detailed expectations for federal workers who decline the offer, including mentions of downsizing through “restructurings, realignments, and reductions in force. These actions are likely to include the use of furloughs and the reclassification to at-will status for a substantial number of federal employees.”

However, the buyout offer is likely just the beginning of a wave of layoffs to come for federal workers.

A Jan. 31 article by the Federal News Network cited multiple anonymous sources who claim that an internal meeting saw administration officials direct senior OPM staff to cut their internal workforce by 70%.

Created in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter, the OPM is the equivalent of the government’s human resources department. It helps manage the civil service, including pay schedules, health insurance and pension programs. The U.S. Office of Government Ethics was spun off from OPM in 1989.

As the OPM website notes, the agency’s roots go back to 1883 with the Civil Service Act. That law established merit-based hiring for many government workers, replacing a system that was previously prone to political patronage.

The Federal News Network article was shared on Facebook by Butler County Commissioner Kevin Boozel on Sunday, in an attempt to spread awareness about possible layoffs.

“We have a lot of jobs at stake in northern Butler County,” Boozel wrote. “Those are good jobs with good people and their families that rely on them.”

Boozel also noted that an anonymous but credible source had informed him that OPM employees are receiving emails that they will be visited individually and to “rethink their political positions.”

“I’ve had over 50 employees, family members or neighbors reach out to me, concerned about what it could mean for the community,” Boozel told the Butler Eagle. “If you need help, just reach out.”

Boozel explained that the jobs offered at the local OPM office are some of the best-paying jobs available in northern Butler County and mentioned that it would affect neighboring counties as well, including Lawrence, Mercer, Venango and Clarion.

Commissioner Kim Geyer, however, said that she and Commissioner Leslie Osche have received no calls to the office as of Monday and asked residents to keep calm as the claims could be “fearmongering.”

“There has been no formal information from OPM,” Geyer said. “We are more local government, and the federal government usually stays within the federal government.”

Even if it comes to fruition, Geyer said she believes that the Trump administration is enacting the campaign promise to downsize government.

“This is what President Trump ran on. We voted for change, and Trump is capitalizing and shaping a new government that works for all people,” Geyer said.

The federal government was the top employer in Butler County, according to the December 2023 Tri-County Workforce Development Board Labor and Employment Report for Butler, Armstrong and Indiana counties.

Pam Snyder Watson, a former OPM staff member who worked at the Boyers office for 40 years, commented under Boozel’s post that fear is a common occurrence during new administrations.

“Every time a new president was elected, we held our collective breaths because we knew change would be coming,” Watson said. “We are a small, but very important part of OPM and the federal workforce.”

Carol Lucas Means, another former OPM staff member who worked there for 40 years, shared her personal experience with the workforce in a comment under Boozel’s post in the Butler PA Community Page.

“While, as in any workplace, there may be a few who don’t pull their weight, the majority of employees I knew both locally, and through my other agency contacts, worked extremely hard, met stringent performance standards and took their oath of office seriously,” Means said. “Those who criticize federal employees and want to unilaterally cut jobs or outsource them have no firsthand knowledge of the work federal employees do and the importance of it.”

OPM declined to comment on details of the meeting. VA Butler Healthcare didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.