A Federal Judge of Massachusetts has temporarily blocked the implementation of Trump’s deferred resignation offer, “Fork in the Road”, delaying the plan until at least Monday afternoon.
Federal Judge George A. O’Toole Jr., appointed by former President Bill Clinton, issued an order today by arresting the effort of the Trump administration to cut the federal workforce through a “voluntary resignation incentive”.
“I ordered the defendants not to take any measure to implement the so -called directive until the informative session and oral arguments on the issues are completed,” O’Toole said during an audience. “I think that’s the farthest I want to get today.”
The judge scheduled a hearing for Monday afternoon to determine whether the temporary restriction order must be extended.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aicjqhyooc
Meanwhile, the lawyers of the Department of Justice promised to notify all federal employees subject to the delay.
The “Crucijada” offer, issued by the Personnel Administration Office (OPM), gave more than two million federal workers until midnight on Thursday to resign in exchange for continuing to receive their salary until September 30.
The plan, inspired by the Twitter restructuring of Doge Chief, Elon Musk, has caused a fierce opposition of federal employee unions.
Three important unions (the American Federation of Government Employees, the National Association of Employees of the Government and the US Federation of State Employees, County and Municipal) filed a lawsuit by challenging the Directive.
The lawsuit argues that the initiative lacks legal basis, violates the Law of Administrative Procedure and presses employees to resign under the threat of future dismissals.
The unions also warn that the program could destabilize federal agencies, stripping them of key personnel and making vacancies vulnerable to partisan hiring.
At least 40,000 federal workers, approximately 2 % of the Federal Work Force, have already accepted the offer.
The case is expected to intensify as the Trump administration defends its efforts to reduce government workforce.
