Demonstrators compete outside the U.S. Treasury Department to announce billionaire Elon Musk has gained access to the U.S. Treasury’s federal payment system, which distributes more than $6 trillion in payments on behalf of federal agencies every year. and contains personal information of millions of Americans in Washington, United States, February 4, 2025.
Kent Nishimura | Reuters
Federal judge cleared the way for the president on Wednesday Donald Trump Plans to reduce the size of the federal workforce by postponing resignation plans.
It’s a major legal victory after Republican president A string of court setbacks.
“This shows that the law will not ultimately outweigh the will of the 77 million Americans who support President Trump and his priorities,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
The union has no plan to sue Trump immediately.
In a statement issued after the ruling, Everett Kelley, the president of the United States Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), said union lawyers are evaluating the decision and evaluating the next step.
“Today’s ruling is a setback in fighting for dignity and fairness for civil servants,” Kelly said. “But that’s not the end of that battle. Importantly, this decision did not address the basic legitimacy of the plan.”
The coalition continues to insist that forcing American citizens to make a decision in just a few days without enough information to “snatch up their families and leave their careers, paying Elon Musk’s unfunded, ” said the statement.
U.S. District Court Judge George O’Toole Jr. O’Toole was nominated by former Democratic President Bill Clinton.
Trump hopes to use economic incentives to encourage government employees to withdraw. According to the White House, thousands of workers have made proposals from the administration.
The deferred resignation plan is led by Elon Musk, who serves as Trump’s top adviser to reduce federal spending. Under the program, employees can stop working and be paid until September 30.
The union ruled that the plan was illegal and asked O’Toole to shelve the plan and prevent the Office of Personnel Management or OPM from soliciting more workers to sign.
A Justice Department attorney called the plan a “humane closure ramp” for federal employees who may work remotely and have been ordered to return to government offices.
