A US JUDGE has temporarily blocked several federal agencies from proceeding with the mass layoffs of government workers ordered by US President Donald Trump in February.

US District Court Judge Susan Illston of California ordered a two-week pause yesterday, writing that the Trump administration’s moves to slash the federal workforce likely required approval from Congress.

“The Court holds the President likely must request Congressional cooperation to order the changes he seeks, and thus issues a temporary restraining order to pause large-scale reductions in force in the meantime,” Illston wrote in the order.

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has directed federal agencies to prepare sweeping workforce reduction plans as part of wider efforts by the Elon Musk-headed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to downsize the federal government.

In an executive order on 11 February, Trump called for a “critical transformation of the Federal bureaucracy” and directed agencies to cull workers who are not designated as essential.

A coalition of labor unions, non-profit groups and six city and county governments last week sued Trump, DOGE and federal agencies including the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), arguing that they had exceeded their authority by implementing the mass layoffs without congressional go-ahead.

“The Trump administration’s unlawful attempt to reorganize the federal government has thrown agencies into chaos, disrupting critical services provided across our nation,” the plaintiffs, led by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), said in a joint statement, hailing the judge’s temporary freeze.

“Each of us represents communities deeply invested in the efficiency of the federal government — laying off federal employees and reorganizing government functions haphazardly does not achieve that,” it added.

Trump has rapidly moved to fire thousands of government employees this year and slash programs — targeting the US humanitarian aid agency USAID, diversity initiatives across the government and various other offices.

But in several cases, judges have thwarted or held up his administration’s signature policy initiatives, including on immigration and upending government spending.

© AFP 2025