On Thursday, a federal judge temporarily blocked President Trump’s buyout offer for federal workers just hours before the midnight deadline. Boston U.S. District Judge George O’Toole Jr. set a hearing for Monday and paused the deadline, without ruling on the buyout’s legality.
Last week, the Trump administration launched a buyout program offering up to eight months of pay and benefits in exchange for resignation. Three major unions filed a lawsuit, arguing the program violated the Administrative Procedure Act by lacking proper legal justification.
The unions, representing 800,000 workers, also raised concerns about employees accepting the offer, only for it to be later ruled unconstitutional. Trump’s team aimed for 5% to 10% of federal employees to take the offer, potentially saving $100 billion. By Wednesday, around 40,000 workers (2% of the federal workforce) had accepted, though it’s unclear how many planned to leave regardless.
Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said the unions were pleased with the pause, saying to continue defending their members’ rights.
