Union lawsuit stalls Trump’s plan to slash government workforce—uncertainty looms
A federal judge has halted Donald Trump’s controversial buyout plan, which aimed to push tens of thousands of federal workers into voluntary resignation before a midnight deadline. The ruling, issued just hours before the cut-off, temporarily blocks the programme until a hearing on Monday determines whether the plan is legal.
Judge George O’Toole Jr. granted the emergency pause after federal employee unions sued the Trump administration, arguing that the White House had no authority to implement such mass job cuts. The lawsuit also accused the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) of failing to properly fund the deal and misleading workers with conflicting guidance.
The White House defended the plan, claiming it was a cost-saving measure. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted the pause would actually help the administration, saying, “We are grateful to the Judge for extending the deadline so more federal workers who refuse to show up to the office can take the Administration up on this very generous, once-in-a-lifetime offer.”
The programme had already convinced over 40,000 employees to resign, with officials expecting a last-minute surge. Trump’s administration had initially hoped to reduce the federal workforce by 200,000, touting it as a way to save taxpayers millions. But unions and Democratic lawmakers slammed the plan, calling it a reckless purge that would leave government agencies crippled.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) led the charge against the buyout, warning that the forced exodus of skilled professionals could cripple national security, weaken disaster response teams, and cause bureaucratic paralysis. They described the plan as a thinly veiled attempt to dismantle the civil service and replace career professionals with unqualified political appointees and private contractors.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was the first national security department to extend the resignation offer to its staff, a move that triggered alarm among former intelligence officials and lawmakers. Critics fear the move could jeopardise national security, while additional reports suggest that major cuts are looming for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Meanwhile, federal employees have expressed shock and confusion over the buyout. Many received a late-night email titled “Fork in the Road”, which outlined their options in what some workers initially believed was a phishing scam. Monet Hepp, a medical support specialist at the Department of Veterans Affairs, said the email felt threatening, adding, “The tone was like, ‘you may be cut anyway.’ People were blindsided.”
Democrats in Congress warned the White House’s plan could have catastrophic consequences. In a letter to President Trump, members of the House Oversight Committee argued that the loss of experienced federal employees would create a leadership vacuum and make government agencies incapable of handling national emergencies.
Despite the temporary pause, Trump appears determined to gut the federal workforce. The White House has instructed the General Services Administration (GSA) to cancel all media contracts with news outlets like Politico, Bloomberg, BBC, and E&E News, claiming that taxpayer funds should not go toward “anti-Trump propaganda.”
With a Monday hearing looming, the fate of thousands of government jobs remains in limbo. The key question—will Trump’s administration be allowed to reshape the federal government in its final year, or will the courts block his radical purge?
