A US judge has approved the Trump administration’s plan to buy out tens of thousands of federal employees

A US judge has decided that the Trump administration’s plan to reduce its staff can move forward, allowing 75,000 federal employees to choose to be bought out.

A federal judge decided that the historic reduction initiative could move forward, allowing tens of thousands of federal employees in the United States to accept a buyout from the Trump administration. US District Judge George O’Toole handed the ruling in Boston on Wednesday, rejecting union protests and opening the door for the administration’s personnel reduction strategy.

Approximately 75,000 public servants, or about 3% of the federal civilian workforce, have chosen to participate in the buyout program, according to the US Office of Personnel Management. Although unions have cautioned that the offer may not be dependable, the government has committed to paying their salaries through October without compelling them to work.

The project was put on hold for six days after labor groups representing federal employees filed a lawsuit to stop it. Judge O’Toole, however, decided that the unions lacked the legal standing to contest the program in court, adding that other avenues must be used to resolve the matter before a lawsuit is filed. The administration affirmed that the program was no longer open to new applicants after the decision.

In a statement, the Office of Personnel Management declared, “There is no longer any doubt: the Deferred Resignation Program was both legal and a valuable option for federal employees.”

Federal worker unions, who have been opposing the Trump administration’s larger attempts to reduce the size of the government workforce, were given a blow by the verdict. Although he called the judgment a defeat, Everett Kelly, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 800,000 federal employees, pledged to keep opposing the administration’s policies.

“Today’s decision is a blow to the struggle for public servants’ justice and dignity. But that fight isn’t over,” Kelly stated.

The buyout program is a component of Trump’s broader plan to reduce the federal workforce, which he has frequently denounced as being ineffective and biased against him. Agencies have been instructed to get ready for significant personnel cutbacks in addition to the buyouts; according to some sources, some departments may see losses of up to 70%. Recent hires without complete job security are already being let go by a number of agencies.

There are also questions about whether the buyout’s financial promises will hold up in spite of the administration’s assurances. There is no assurance that pay and benefits will continue to be funded after March 14, when the current government spending laws expire.

The idea has been supported by the US Department of Justice, which describes it as a “humane off-ramp” for workers who are unhappy with Trump’s efforts to limit remote work and shrink the size of the federal government.

However, unions contend that the buyout plan is “stunningly arbitrary” and has the potential to interfere with vital government functions. They contend that it is against federal statutes that prohibit agencies from going above budgets that have been approved by Congress. Concerns regarding labor imbalances are heightened by the program’s notable exclusion of some federal employees, such as air traffic controllers and border guards.

The decision on Wednesday is only one of many lawsuits that unions and Democratic attorneys general have filed in opposition to Trump’s federal government reorganization. Five unions attempted to stop what they characterized as a possible mass termination of employees who rejected the buyout offers in a different lawsuit that was filed that same day.