Trump Administration Partially Halts Federal Layoffs Amid Court Order

The Trump administration is proceeding with certain federal worker layoffs while pausing others in compliance with a court order. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reported that 362 of the 954 employees who received termination notices are covered by a California judge's order to halt shutdown-related reductions in force. Similarly, the Departments of Interior and Commerce have paused terminations for employees represented by five union plaintiffs included in Judge Susan Illston's October 15 order. Judge Illston emphasized caution during an October 17 hearing, stating, "I don't think any RIFs should be happening." The court's order specifically protects workers represented by the American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Service Employees International Union, National Association of Government Employees, and National Federation of Federal Employees. Commerce Department filings indicate that workers at the U.S. Census Bureau and Minority Business Development Agency are among those protected, though the exact number of unaffected employees who received termination notices remains unspecified. The Interior Department noted that out of 14,212 workers considered for layoffs, 4,833 are covered by the five unions. While the department intended to cut 2,050 positions, it did not specify how many of those were represented by the plaintiff unions. Earlier this month, the administration terminated over 4,100 workers across nearly half a dozen agencies. White House Budget Director Russell Vought anticipates that layoffs related to the ongoing government shutdown could exceed 10,000.