Move Was Politically Driven; U.S. Judge Blocks Trump’s Layoff Of Federal Workers
A United States District Judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from laying off thousands of federal workers during the ongoing government shutdown, citing clear political motivations behind the decision.
According to the BBC, the ruling, issued by US District Judge Susan Illston, came less than a week after the administration confirmed that several agencies had begun laying off about 4,000 workers.
The decision followed a request filed by two unions seeking to halt the layoffs affecting more than 30 federal agencies.
During the hearing, Judge Illston said she agreed with the unions that the administration was unlawfully using the lapse in funding, which began on October 1, to advance its broader plan to downsize the federal government.
She referenced a number of public statements by President Donald Trump and the White House’s budget chief, Russell Vought, which she said revealed “explicit political motivations” for the layoffs.
According to her, such comments undermined the administration’s claim that the move was purely administrative or budgetary.
Judge Illston specifically cited remarks in which President Trump reportedly said that job cuts would target “Democrat agencies.”
The judge noted that statements like these supported the unions’ argument that the layoffs were politically driven rather than necessitated by the shutdown.
A Justice Department lawyer, however, argued that the unions should not have gone directly to court, insisting that the claims must first be brought before a federal labour board.
The judge’s injunction halts any ongoing or planned layoffs while the case proceeds, marking a significant legal setback for the administration’s broader efforts to shrink the federal workforce.
It was reported that U.S. President Donald Trump had sacked thousands of government employees, blaming opposition Democrats for forcing his hand amid the continuing government shutdown.
According to White House officials, the mass layoffs affect key agencies including the Treasury Department, the Department of Health, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Departments of Education and Commerce, as well as the Cybersecurity division of Homeland Security.
While the total number of affected workers has not yet been confirmed, insiders said hundreds of thousands of civil servants are expected to lose their jobs in the coming weeks.
President Trump, who has repeatedly vowed to shrink the size of government, accused Democrats of “sabotaging America’s economic recovery” by refusing to back his budget proposals, which include deep spending cuts and major civil service reforms.
“They started this thing,” Trump said, calling the job cuts “Democrat-oriented.”
