The latest on Trump’s presidency as judge pauses ‘buyout’ offer for federal workers

• A federal judge has temporarily halted President Donald Trump’s “deferred resignation” program, which offered federal employees financial incentives to resign. The program aimed to reduce the federal workforce by offering employees eight months’ pay and benefits in exchange for their resignation. The original deadline for applications was February 6, 2025. However, U.S. District Judge George O’Toole Jr. issued a temporary injunction, pausing the deadline until at least Monday, February 10, 2025, to allow for further legal proceedings.

The program had garnered significant attention, with over 60,000 federal workers accepting the offer by the original deadline. This number fell short of the administration’s target of reducing the workforce by 5 to 10 percent. The pause provides the Trump administration additional time to encourage more employees to accept the buyout offer.

 

The initiative has faced legal challenges from federal employee unions, which argue that the program violates the Administrative Procedure Act and lacks a legal basis. The unions contend that the buyout offer is coercive and could lead to significant disruptions within federal agencies.

 

In related developments, the Trump administration has implemented a federal hiring freeze and paused certain government programs as part of efforts to restructure the federal workforce. These actions have led to uncertainty among federal employees and have been met with criticism from various stakeholders.

The legal proceedings concerning the “deferred resignation” program are ongoing, and further updates are expected following the scheduled hearing on Monday.

udge Temporarily Halts Trump’s Federal Worker Buyout Program