- A federal judge continued to pause President Donald Trump’s buyout plan for federal workers.
- The resignation offer was challenged by a group of labor unions who argue it’s unlawful.
- Last week, a judge extended the buyout deadline until Monday.
A federal judge in Massachusetts has continued his pause of President Donald Trump and DOGE-head Elon Musk’s plan to root out federal employees with buyout offers.
Attorneys for the Trump administration and lawyers for a group of labor unions that sued the federal government over the “fork in the road” resignation offer faced off Monday in a Boston courtroom on the matter.
US District Judge George O’Toole Jr. said Monday that he was extending his delay on the Trump administration’s buyout deal until he issues a further ruling that could block the plan.
Monday’s court hearing came after O’Toole Jr. on Thursday delayed the buyout deadline until at least Monday, just hours before the actual 11:59 pm ET deadline.
“I enjoin the defendants from taking action to implement the so-called Fork directive, pending the completion of briefing and oral argument on the issues,” the judge said at the time.
Following O’Toole’s decision Thursday, the US Office of Personnel Management — which is named as a defendant in the lawsuit — posted on X, “In compliance with the court order, the deadline for federal employees to accept the deferred resignation program is being extended to Monday, February 10, at 11:59pmET.”
In the post on the social media site owned by Musk, OPM added, “The program is NOT being blocked or canceled. The government will honor the deferred resignation offer.”
Late last month, the Trump administration gave just over 2 million government workers the chance to resign and maintain full pay and benefits until September 30. The resignation offer was a strategy straight out of Musk’s playbook.
Days later, four government unions, including the American Federation of Government Employees, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the National Association of Government Employees, filed a lawsuit.
The unions, which represent more than 800,000 federal civil servants, said in their suit that the country “will suffer a dangerous one-two punch” if the federal employees “leave or are forced out en masse.”
The lawsuit, filed by the nonprofit Democracy Forward on behalf of the unions, argued that the buyout offer is “arbitrary,” “capricious,” and unlawful.
“The Fork Directive is also contrary to law. OPM has offered no statutory basis for its unprecedented offer,” the lawsuit said.
Tens of thousands of federal workers have already taken the buyout, according to the White House.
Since Trump was sworn into office three weeks ago for a second presidential term, his administration, along with Musk, the billionaire head of DOGE, has wasted no time in their efforts to shrink the federal government.
Some of Trump and Musk’s boldest moves have either been blocked or temporarily halted by federal judges.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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