A federal judge yesterday ordered the Trump administration to reinstate tens of thousands of workers laid off as part of a sweeping reduction in force across the federal government. The decision applies to six agencies—the departments of Agriculture, Energy, Defense, Interior, Veterans Affairs, and Treasury—and pertains to probationary workers.
Judge William Alsup found the government has the right to downsize its workforce but did not follow established legal processes during recent terminations. Alsup accused the government of attempting to obscure who directed the firings, alleging that federal officials avoided cross-examination. It was unclear as of this writing whether fired workers would or should show up at their old offices today.
In related news, the Senate faces a midnight deadline to pass a government funding bill and avoid a partial federal shutdown. The House has passed a six-month continuing resolution with some budgetary changes—as of last night, it appeared Senate Democrats would support the bill.
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