Summary
A judge has temporarily stopped the Trump administration from laying off thousands of federal workers during the government shutdown. The decision came after two unions argued that the layoffs were politically motivated and not necessary during a funding lapse. The layoffs were planned across several major government departments.
Key Facts
- A judge halted the Trump administration's plan to lay off around 4,000 federal workers during the shutdown.
- US District Judge Susan Illston granted an emergency order at the request of two unions.
- The unions argued that the layoffs had political motives, citing comments from President Trump.
- Major departments like Treasury and Health and Human Services were starting to issue layoff notices.
- The Department of Homeland Security planned layoffs at its Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
- The unions claim the layoffs are not essential services required during a funding gap.
- The administration has been downsizing agencies it called "Democrat agencies."
- The two unions involved in the case are the American Federation of Government Employees and AFL-CIO.
