A federal judge in Massachusetts has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s “deferred resignation” program, which aims to push out career government workers as part of the Elon Musk-run Department of Government Efficiency’s alleged effort to reduce federal spending. The program, which gave employees until midnight on Thursday to accept the offer, promised to pay out employees through September if they resigned by the deadline, even though the government is not funded past March 14th. A group of unions representing federal employees sued the Office of Personnel Management and its acting director, claiming that the directive violates the Administrative Procedure Act.
U.S. District Judge George O’Toole Jr. agreed to pause the deadline until at least Monday to hear further arguments. This decision provides some relief to federal workers whose jobs have been uncertain since Elon Musk’s takeover of certain federal government functions. A General Services Administration official had warned of possible layoffs if too few employees accepted the deferred resignation agreement. Reports indicate that at least 40,000 workers, or about two percent of the two million who received the offer, had volunteered for the package as of Wednesday, despite the White House’s targeting of five to ten percent.
The temporary halt provides workers with more time to consider their options and potentially challenge the administration’s actions through legal means. Stay tuned for more updates on this ongoing issue as the legal battle unfolds.
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