Judge allows Trump plan for ‘deferred resignations’ to move forward
Move expected to save US taxpayers $100 billion annually
HOUSTON, United States
A judge gave the green light Wednesday for the Trump administration to go ahead with its plan to offer “deferred resignations” to federal workers who voluntarily leave government service, according to multiple news outlets.
A previous court order on Feb. 6 had paused the action after federal employees' unions challenged the measure, saying that it violated federal law.
But Judge George O'Toole of the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts said the request lacked standing and that he did not have the jurisdiction to stop the program from proceeding because he found that the plaintiffs were "not directly impacted by the directive."
"They allege that the directive subjects them to upstream effects including a diversion of resources to answer members' questions about the directive, a potential loss of membership, and possible reputational harm," O'Toole wrote in his ruling. "The unions do not have the required direct stake in the (deferred resignation directive), but are challenging a policy that affects others."
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) notified more than 2 million federal employees last month that they had the option to resign from their positions and retain full pay and benefits until Sept. 30. Those who agreed to step down from their jobs would also be exempt from in-person work requirements through the end of September and would not be required to work at their government jobs during the deferred resignation period, according to the notice.
The deferred resignations are part of President Donald Trump's vision to cut wasteful and unnecessary government spending under his newly-created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) headed up by Tesla CEO and billionaire Elon Musk.
The judge wrote that employees who might take issue with the deferred resignation program and its deadline are statutorily required to first challenge the program through an administrative review process, not a judicial one.
"That the unions themselves may be foreclosed from this administrative process does not mean that adequate judicial review is lacking," O'Toole added.
A new deadline for the deferred resignations has not yet been set by OPM officials.
The White House expects the move to save US taxpayers $100 billion a year.
