E-Paper
US judge bars Donald Trump from firing federal workers as shutdown drags on
Lawyers for the Donald Trump administration say the district court does not have the authority to hear personnel challenges.
A US federal judge in San Francisco on Tuesday indefinitely barred the Donald Trump administration from firing federal employees during the ongoing government shutdown.
District Judge Susan Illston granted a preliminary injunction that bars the firings while a lawsuit challenging them plays out. She had previously issued a temporary restraining order against the job cuts that was set to expire on Wednesday.
Illston, who was nominated by Democratic President Bill Clinton, has said she believes the evidence will ultimately show the mass firings were illegal and in excess of authority.
The American Federation of Government Employees and other labour unions have sued to stop the “reductions in force” layoffs, saying the firings were an abuse of power designed to punish workers and pressure Congress.
Lawyers for the government say the district court does not have the authority to hear personnel challenges.
During a hearing on October 15, Judge Illston said the layoff notices that started going out on or around October 10 appeared to be politically motivated and not well thought out. About 4,100 layoff notices have gone out, some sent to work email addresses that furloughed employees are not allowed to check. Some personnel were called back to work, without pay, to issue layoff notices.
The US government shutdown
The ongoing government shutdown in the US is the second-longest in history. The longest one also occurred under Donald Trump in his first term, over his demand for funds to build a wall on the Mexican border.
The 2019 shutdown lasted 35 days.
Democratic lawmakers are demanding that any deal to reopen the federal government address expiring health care subsidies that have made health insurance more affordable for millions of Americans. They also want any government funding bill to reverse the Medicaid cuts in Trump’s big tax breaks and spending cuts bill, passed this summer.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to negotiate with Democrats until they first agree to reopen the government.
The Trump administration has slashed jobs in various sectors, including education, health and several others, which it says are favoured by Democrats. The administration has also said it will not tap roughly $5 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as SNAP, flowing into November.
