Judge rules against blocking federal worker layoffs
Federal Unions’ Legal Challenge Faces Setback as Layoffs Proceed
As President Donald Trump completes his first month in office, a federal judge has refused to temporarily halt his administration’s sweeping layoffs of federal workers. The lawsuit, filed by five unions, challenges the mass terminations, but U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that the claims must be pursued under federal employment law rather than in district court.
In a separate case, another federal judge declined to intervene in the administration’s abrupt decision to cut funding for the nation’s largest private refugee resettlement program. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden denied the request for a temporary restraining order sought by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, though he described his ruling as “very tentative.”
🔹 Federal Workers Union Lawsuit: Labor unions have sued the Trump administration over what they call “indiscriminate firings” of probationary federal employees, alleging officials are using performance issues as a pretext to purge government agencies.
🔹 Kash Patel Confirmed as FBI Director: Patel, who has expressed a desire to shift the FBI’s focus back to crime-fighting rather than intelligence operations, has also vowed to target anti-Trump “conspirators” within the federal government and media.
🔹 Mitch McConnell Won’t Seek Reelection: The longtime Republican Senate leader announced he will not run for another term, marking the end of an era. His decision follows years of navigating between traditional conservatism and Trump’s populist influence on the GOP.
🔹 Foreign Aid Battle: A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration continues to withhold foreign aid despite a court order and must temporarily restore funding to global programs. However, the judge stopped short of holding officials in contempt.