Federal Employees Given Reprieve: Court Temporarily Halts Trump Resignation Offer Deadline

A federal judge has delayed the deadline for federal employees to decide on a resignation offer from the Trump administration. This follows a lawsuit by unions seeking to stop the directive, arguing it is arbitrary and dangerous. The new deadline is set for Monday.

A federal judge in Massachusetts has temporarily postponed the deadline for federal employees to decide on the Trump administration's deferred resignation offer, which was previously set for February 6. The extension to the new deadline, now set for Monday, comes in response to a lawsuit filed by several federal unions, including the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

The delayed decision was communicated to federal employees via an email sent by the administration shortly after 5 pm ET. However, the notification did not specify the potential for an additional postponement by the judge during a scheduled hearing on Monday afternoon. Initially, eligible federal employees had until 11:59 pm ET on Thursday to decide whether to accept the offer, allowing them to leave their jobs while still drawing a salary until the end of September.

This judicial intervention followed a legal challenge initiated by the AFGE, AFSCME, and the National Association of Government Employees. The lawsuit aimed to secure a temporary restraining order against the 'Fork Directive' deadline of February 6. The unions argued that this directive represents an arbitrary and possibly unlawful ultimatum, pressing the government to establish a lawful policy instead. As detailed by the AFGE, the 'Fork Directive' marks a continued effort by the Trump administration to further Project 2025's agenda of replacing career public service employees with partisan appointees.

The presiding judge, George O'Toole, appointee of President Bill Clinton, announced the suspension after a brief hearing, stating his intent to gather further information before determining whether the plan should be permanently blocked. Union leaders have advised federal workers against accepting the package, citing doubts about the legality of the directive and the administration's capacity to uphold its promises.

As of Thursday, at least 65,000 federal employees had entered the deferred resignation program, a White House representative informed CNN. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)