Trump Administration Can Proceed Downsizing Federal Workforce, Judge Rules

A federal judge ruled on Thursday that the Trump administration can proceed with its mass firings of federal employees.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper rejected an effort by a group of government employee unions to block the Trump administration from moving forward with its plan to downsize the federal government workforce.

“Shifting people from low to negative productivity jobs in the government sector to high productivity roles in the commercial sector will greatly improve the average standard of living,” Elon Musk commented.

Shifting people from low to negative productivity jobs in the government sector to high productivity roles in the commercial sector will greatly improve the average standard of living https://t.co/0OxMmzhrvF

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 20, 2025

Per Reuters:

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, D.C. federal court is temporary while the litigation plays out. But it is a win for the Trump administration as it seeks to purge the federal workforce and slash what it deems wasteful and fraudulent government spending.

The National Treasury Employees Union and four other unions sued last week to block the administration from firing hundreds of thousands of federal workers and granting buyouts to employees who quit voluntarily.

The unions are seeking to block eight agencies including the Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and Department of Veterans Affairs from implementing mass layoffs.

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Cooper on Thursday said he likely lacks the power to hear the case, and that the unions instead must file complaints with a federal labor board that hears disputes between unions and federal agencies.

BREAKING: JUDGE RULES TRUMP ADMIN CAN CONTINUE MASS FIRINGS OF FEDERAL WORKERS.

— Election Wizard (@ElectionWiz) February 20, 2025

Trump administration can continue mass firings of federal workers, US judge rules https://t.co/ttKdO0lmc6 pic.twitter.com/emBJcjMJuu

— Reuters Legal (@ReutersLegal) February 20, 2025

From The Hill:

The decision notches another victory for Trump’s Justice Department, which is defending against dozens of lawsuits challenging a broad range of the president’s executive actions, including the administration’s efforts to slash spending and reshape government agencies.

“The first month of President Trump’s second administration has been defined by an onslaught of executive actions that have caused, some say by design, disruption and even chaos in widespread quarters of American society,” wrote Cooper, an appointee of former President Obama.

“Affected citizens and their advocates have challenged many of these actions on an emergency basis in this Court and others across the country,” he continued. “Certain of the President’s actions have been temporarily halted; others have been permitted to proceed, at least for the time being. These mixed results should surprise no one.”

The unions’ lawsuit challenged mass terminations of probationary employees, the administration’s plans for additional mass layoffs, known as a reduction in force (RIF), and its offer for most federal employees to accept a buyout.

Another federal judge previously rejected an attempt to block the buyouts in a separate lawsuit, but litigation against the probationary employee firings remains ongoing after a coalition of unions filed yet another lawsuit Thursday.

Read the full ruling HERE.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.

View the original article here.