Washington: In a major setback to former US President Donald Trump’s cost-cutting measures, US District Judge William Alsup has blocked the mass termination of federal employees. The ruling comes after labor unions challenged Trump’s decision, arguing that firing probationary staff across multiple agencies was unlawful.
Judge Alsup ruled that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) lacked the authority to enforce layoffs across departments, clarifying that hiring and firing decisions rest with individual federal agencies as per congressional authorization. The court ordered an immediate reversal of the dismissals.
The ruling provides temporary relief to nearly 200,000 federal employees, many of whom feared job losses. The layoffs were reportedly supported by billionaire Elon Musk’s company, Doze, which proposed workforce reductions in multiple federal agencies.
This is not the first time Trump’s executive decisions have faced legal hurdles. Courts had previously blocked his order to revoke birthright citizenship and another ruling restricting refugee entry. With Trump’s aggressive policy moves frequently facing judicial scrutiny, legal battles over his governance strategies continue.
