A US federal judge on Thursday, temporarily halted President Donald Trump’s plan to incentivise federal workers to leave their jobs with financial offers, adding to the uncertainty faced by government employees under the new administration. The ruling came just hours before the midnight deadline for applying to the deferred resignation program, which was spearheaded by Trump adviser Elon Musk.
Labour unions challenged the plan as illegal, prompting US District Judge George O’Toole Jr. in Boston to pause its implementation until a court hearing scheduled for Monday afternoon. He also ordered the administration to extend the application deadline until then.
According to Reuters, Judge O’Toole could opt to delay the buyout further or block it on a more permanent basis when he next considers the legal challenge by the unions at a hearing on Monday.
As per the White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, 40,000 workers had already signed up to leave their jobs while being paid till September 30. She called federal employees who work remotely as lazy and said, “they don’t want to come into the office” and “if they want to rip the American people off, then they’re welcome to take this buyout.”
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A federal worker in Colorado told Associated Press (AP), said the insults thrown at the workers by the Trump administration have been demoralising for those who provide public services.
She stated that the judge’s ruling reinforced concerns, shared by employees across various departments and agencies, that the deferred resignation program’s legality was in question.
Another worker had decided to take the offer, even after the judge’s decision, she said she hoped to use the opportunity to move overseas. Adding that if the money never comes, she still wanted out. She’s unwilling to comply with administration policies such as eliminating diversity initiatives, and she worries that the situation will only get worse for people who stay.
