A United States federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump to suspend the planned mass layoffs of federal workers during the ongoing government shutdown.
The ruling came after the White House announced intentions to terminate up to 10,000 employees as part of its cost-cutting measures.
District Judge Susan Illston of San Francisco issued a temporary restraining order following a lawsuit filed by major labor unions, which argued that the layoffs were unlawful and politically driven. In her decision, Illston described the move as “not ordinary,” noting that many affected workers were unable to access their government email accounts to receive termination notices during the shutdown.
According to the court document, some employees expressed distress over the uncertainty of their health insurance coverage, especially those who are pregnant or dealing with medical conditions. The judge emphasized that those who received termination letters had no access to human resources officers most of whom are also on furlough to seek clarification or assistance.
Trump’s budget chief, Russ Vought, confirmed during a media interview that the administration aimed to be “very aggressive” in cutting down the federal workforce, stating that “we’ll probably end up being north of 10,000.” Court filings revealed that over 4,000 employees had already been dismissed as of last Friday, with departments such as Treasury, Education, Housing, and Health among the hardest hit.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate has failed nine consecutive times to pass a funding bill approved by the House, leaving around 1.4 million federal workers either on unpaid duty or forced leave. The President has warned that continued opposition from Democrats could lead to additional layoffs, particularly targeting agencies perceived to support the opposition.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer criticized the administration’s approach, urging the White House to “reverse every single firing from last week and stop playing politics with people’s livelihoods.” He called for immediate negotiations to end what lawmakers predict may become one of the longest shutdowns in American history.
