Latest news with #ReductionsinForce
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump admin asks SCOTUS to allow it to move forward with plans to slash federal workforce
The Trump administration on Monday asked the Supreme Court to immediately intervene and allow them to proceed with plans to slash the size of the federal workforce, arguing in an emergency appeal that the district court's decision had inflicted "ongoing and severe harm" on the executive branch. In its emergency appeal to the high court, U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued that the lower court ruling is "flawed," and hinges on an "indefensible premise," which is that the executive brach needs Congressional authorization to make personnel decisions, such as the Reductions in Force, or RIFs. The district court order in question had barred the Trump administration from carrying out its large-scale, planned reductions in force across 21 federal agencies, and prevented the Trump administration from taking other, related actions – such as placing federal employees at those agencies on leave, or proceeding with job cuts that had already been in motion under previous RIFs. State Department Now Scrutinizing All Visa Holders Associated With Harvard Sauer argued to the Supreme Court Monday that the lower court ruling "interferes with the executive branch's internal operations and unquestioned legal authority to plan and carry out RIFs, and does so on a government-wide scale." "More concretely, the injunction has brought to a halt numerous in-progress RIFs at more than a dozen federal agencies, sowing confusion about what RIF-related steps agencies may take and compelling the government to retain – at taxpayer expense – thousands of employees whose continuance in federal service the agencies deem not to be in the government and public interest," Sauer said. Read On The Fox News App The request to the high court comes just days after a split panel for the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco refused on Friday to freeze the lower court order that blocked Trump from fully enforcing its RIFs. Will The Trump Cabinet Undo Musk's Doge Legacy Now That He's Gone? In their decision, judges for the 9th Circuit wrote that the administration's moves were "unprecedented," and noted: "The executive order at issue here far exceeds the president's supervisory powers under the Constitution." The emergency appeal marks the 18th such appeal that lawyers for the Trump administration have submitted to the Supreme Court since Trump was sworn in to his second White House term. It comes as the administration and federal judges have sparred in court over a number of executive orders and actions from the president, teeing up a high-stakes clash over the powers of the judiciary and the executive branch. The news comes after Elon Musk departed his official post heading up the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which had been behind many of the widespread RIFs across federal agencies. His last official day was Friday, as Fox News reported. To date, however, there are no signs that the department will be winding down in his absence, and Musk himself said Friday that his departure does not mark the end of DOGE "but rather, the beginning." Fox News' Diana Stancy contributed to this article source: Trump admin asks SCOTUS to allow it to move forward with plans to slash federal workforce
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Maryland, DC Attorneys General sue federal agencies to stop mass firings of federal probationary employees
MARYLAND () — Maryland and D.C.'s Attorney General and announced Thursday that they, along with 18 other states, filed a lawsuit against multiple federal agencies challenging the mass firings of federal probationary employees. Brown said the layoffs are not only harmful to the federal workforce but are also straining state resources. He added that the firing would cause irreparable burdens and expenses on Maryland to support recently unemployed workers. Schwalb stated that Washington, D.C. is home to thousands of federal workers who are now struggling to find their footing. DC launches hub with resources for federal workers impacted by sweeping layoffs 'D.C. is home to tens of thousands of federal workers, including many who were fired with no notice or chance to plan and now find themselves struggling to pay rent, afford groceries, and take care of their families. These large-scale, indiscriminate layoffs are unlawful and are causing chaos — not only hurting D.C. residents and our economy, but also placing increased demands on District resources,' shared Schwalb in a . These mass firings came under the Trump administration's efforts to reduce the size of the government. This led to the termination of thousands of federal employees, including probationary workers. According to officials, probationary employees can either be new hires or someone who was recently promoted or changed offices. They are generally subjected to a probationary period of one or two years. 'According to public reports, the Trump administration has fired roughly 23,000 probationary employees over the past three weeks. Not because they were bad at their jobs or because they didn't do important work. But simply because the president will do anything to eliminate federal workers even if it means breaking the law and forcing thousands of families into financial ruin and insecurity,' said Brown in a Takoma Park bookstore hosts 'Fed Fridays' with free coffee, books for fired federal workers In the lawsuit, the coalition of attorneys asserts the Trump administration was required to follow federal laws and regulations that adhere to Reductions in Force (RIF). According to Brown, when a RIF results in a layoff of 50 or more employees, the agency must generally give a notice of at least 60 days to state governments so a proper response is provided. The lawsuit emphasized that several federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, Department of Education and Department of Homeland Security, failed to give an advance notice to Maryland, leaving the state scrambling in response. 'Instead of following the law and notifying states, his administration blindsided Maryland, forcing us to deal with the devastating economic fallout and social consequences. We won't stand by while he disrupts lives and undermines our State, which is why I've taken legal action to stop these unjustified terminations and protect Marylanders,' said Brown. DC Public Schools investigated by US Department of Education after disability discrimination reported According to Brown, since the mass layoffs, over 800 fired federal employees have applied to the state for unemployment. The lawsuit asks the federal court to rule the mass firings of probationary employees as illegal, reinstate fired employees, stop forthcoming terminations and identify affected employees. Maryland Governor Wes Moore commended Brown and the other attorneys, saying in part: The draconian actions of the Trump-Vance Administration could lead to tens of thousands of jobs lost, hundreds of thousands of lives disrupted, and the cratering of tens of millions of dollars in income here in Maryland. As our state navigates the worst fiscal crisis in two decades, we cannot retreat from our principles, and we cannot afford to let these actions stand. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore Attorney Generals from other states that joined the lawsuit include: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai'i, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan,Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin. 030625_Maryland_v_USDA_complaintDownload Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
