In a sharp rebuke to one of the Trump administration’s boldest attempts at reshaping the federal workforce, a U.S. judge has hit pause—again—on sweeping layoffs that threatened to gut several government agencies.
On Thursday, District Judge Susan Illston extended a restraining order that blocks mass firings across a swath of federal departments. The layoffs, a key cog in Trump’s plan to slash government spending and shrink bureaucratic sprawl, would have impacted hundreds of thousands of employees, including 10,000 already let go from health-focused agencies like the CDC, FDA, and NIH.
The judge’s ruling doesn’t mince words: no pink slips without Congress. That’s the message echoing from the courtroom as labor unions, advocacy groups, and local governments mount legal resistance. Illston’s decision, building on her earlier two-week freeze, keeps job protections in place while the broader legal battle continues.
The Trump team has already appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that the executive branch has every right to manage its own workforce without congressional hand-holding. But Illston’s extension may render that move moot—at least for now.
Inside the courtroom, government attorney Andrew Bernie framed the executive order as more of a vision than a directive, insisting it called only for agencies to identify potential cuts—not to swing the axe just yet. Still, critics argue the message from the top has been clear: downsize, decentralize, and digitize.
“The White House isn’t asking for input—they’re dictating outcomes,” said Danielle Leonard, representing the coalition fighting the cuts. She pointed to directives that specify exactly what to cut, where, and when, leaving agencies little discretion.
Trump’s playbook has already prompted roughly 260,000 federal exits, many through buyouts. The deepest cuts are aimed at the Department of Veterans Affairs (over 80,000 jobs) and Health and Human Services. But with dozens of legal challenges underway, the administration’s broad restructuring push is hitting serious headwinds.
Earlier this year, another judge had ordered agencies to reinstate 25,000 newer federal employees. That ruling, however, was stayed on appeal—highlighting the tug-of-war in federal courts over just how far a president can go in retooling the machinery of government.
For now, Trump’s vision of a leaner Washington remains on the drawing board, stalled by a gavel and a growing stack of legal objections.
