A U.S. judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s plan to offer incentives to federal workers who voluntarily resign before the Thursday midnight deadline.
Federal Judge George O’Toole Jr. ruled that the plan would be put on hold until a hearing on Monday, where he will assess the validity of a lawsuit filed by federal employee unions.
The initiative is part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to reduce the size of the federal government.
According to the White House, more than 40,000 employees have already accepted the offer, which allows them to resign in exchange for pay until September 30. However, some workers have expressed confusion over the terms of the deal.
The judge’s order was issued just hours before the 23:59 EST (04:59 GMT Friday) deadline for federal employees to opt in.
A Justice Department attorney confirmed that federal employees would be notified that the deadline had been put on hold, CBS reported.
The White House seemed to view the temporary halt as an opportunity to increase participation in the resignation program.
“We are grateful to the Judge for extending the deadline so more federal workers who refuse to show up to the office can take the Administration up on this very generous, once-in-a-lifetime offer,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a statement confirming that resignations would continue to be processed until the new deadline at 23:59 local time on Monday.
“The program is NOT being blocked or canceled,” the statement read. “The government will honor the deferred resignation offer.”
Donald Trump (Photo: Getty Images)The Trump administration, which had initially stated that it hoped as many as 200,000 federal workers would accept the offer, told U.S. media that they expected a surge in resignations just before the deadline.
“It’s going to save the American people tens of millions of dollars,” Leavitt told reporters outside the White House’s West Wing before the judge temporarily halted the program.
The American Federation of Government Employees, a labor union, filed a lawsuit against the OPM, arguing that the program violated the law, lacked proper funding, and provided conflicting guidance regarding its terms.
In an email to members, the union described the offer as part of an “effort to dismantle the civil service and replace the skilled, professional workforce with unqualified political appointees and for-profit contractors.”
The union also raised concerns about funding, noting that Congress had not approved a budget beyond mid-March and questioning whether agencies would have the necessary resources to pay employees through September.
On Thursday, the union expressed approval of the judge’s ruling, saying it was “pleased” with the decision.
Some federal employees have shared their surprise and frustration over the buyout proposal, which was communicated through a late-night email titled “Fork in the Road.” Some initially mistook the email for spam.
“The tone of the initial email was like ‘you may be cut anyway,'” Monet Hepp, a medical support specialist at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, told the BBC. “People were blindsided by it.”
Democratic lawmakers have raised legal concerns about the resignation package and warned that the loss of experienced federal employees would result in a “brain drain” affecting all Americans.
“Without the expertise and institutional knowledge that so many federal employees bring to their work, our government will be incapable of responding effectively to national emergencies, serving the American public, or even carrying out routine operations,” House Oversight Committee Democrats wrote in a letter to President Trump.
On Tuesday, the Central Intelligence Agency became the first national security agency to extend the offer to its employees. Former intelligence officials and several lawmakers have voiced concerns that this move could weaken U.S. national security.
Additionally, reports indicate that impending budget cuts may affect the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which oversees weather forecasting, as well as the Department of Health and Human Services.