A federal judge on Thursday blocked President Donald Trump’s plan to offer federal buyouts to government employees in exchange for them to resign.
This decision came right before the midnight deadline for workers to apply for the program put forward by Trump, according to The Associated Press.
Trump’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sent an offer to millions of employees last week. The offer allows employees to retain benefits and be paid through September if they agree to opt out by Feb. 6.
The offer went to all federal employees except military personnel, those who work in national security and immigration, and postal workers.
So far more than 20,000 workers have accepted the OPM’s deal.
Washington — A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked the Office of Personnel Management’s deadline for federal employees to accept the Trump administration’s “deferred resignation” offer.
U.S. District Judge George O’Toole prevented the agency from implementing the program’s deadline during a brief hearing held hours before federal workers were required to notify OPM of whether they would accept or reject the offer to step away from their positions.
A Justice Department lawyer said OPM would provide notice to federal employees that the deadline is paused pending further legal proceedings. An OPM official told CBS News that agencies “will still be able to process resignations until this new court-ordered deadline.”
The White House personnel office sent out an email last week with the subject line “Fork in the Road” that offered the more than 2 million federal employees “deferred resignation.” Under the program, they could resign their positions and retain full pay and benefits until Sept 30. Federal workers who agreed to resign would also be exempt from in-person work requirementsthrough September, the email stated.
Employees previously had until Feb. 6 to accept or reject the offer. The program is not available to members of the military, U.S. Postal Service employees or those whose work is related to immigration and national security, according to OPM