A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s offer of mass buyouts for more than 2 million government employees while he determines whether the offer is legal.
After issuing a temporary retraining order last week extending the deadline for federal employees to decide whether to accept the buyout offer, US District Judge George O’Toole heard arguments in Boston on Monday in the lawsuit filed by federal workers’ unions, who claim the administration’s “deferred resignation” program is illegal because it was not authorized by Congress.
Following the arguments, O’Toole stated that he would maintain the temporary restraining order while deciding whether to block it permanently.
The lawsuit claims that the buyout offer is a “arbitrary, unlawful, short-fused ultimatum” to force government employees to resign under “threat of mass termination”.
The judge’s decision prevents the administration from implementing the buyout plan for the time being. It’s unclear when he’ll rule on the unions’ request to halt it completely.
The Trump administration stated that it had offered nearly all of the approximately 2 million civilian federal workers the option of leaving their jobs and receiving eight months’ severance pay and benefits, or staying in their positions and agreeing to new reforms, including a five-day work week.
The US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) warned in an email titled “Fork in the road” that those who chose to stay would be subject to “enhanced standards of conduct” and could face layoffs or reassignment.
Since the email was sent on January 29, 65,000 workers have accepted the deferred resignation offer, according to a White House official.
Democrats and union leaders have advised federal employees not to accept the offer, citing concerns about its legality and the administration’s ability to fulfill its end of the deal. “It’s a scam and not a buyout,” said Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees.
A coalition of Democratic attorneys general, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, warned federal employees that the buyout offer was “misleading”.
“President Trump’s so-called buyout offers are nothing more than the latest attack on federal workers and the services they provide,” James said in an interview. “These supposed offers are not guaranteed.”
Employees at the education department have been warned that if they accept the buyout, their paychecks could be stopped at any time, with no recourse.
In response to the judge’s order, the OPM announced on Thursday that the deadline for accepting the deferred resignation program would be extended until Monday.
“The program is NOT being blocked or canceled,” the message said. “The government will honor the deferred resignation offer.”
- Send us a tip
If you have information you’d like to share securely with the Guardian about the impact of cuts to federal programs, please use a non-work device to contact us via the Signal messaging app at (646) 886-8761.
