Trump administration must suspend layoffs during government shutdown, judge rules

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — For now, President Donald Trump’s administration must stop laying off workers during the government shutdown, a federal judge ordered Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco said the cuts appeared politically motivated and were being carried out without much thought.

“It’s very smart, it shoots, it targets most of these programs, and it takes a human toll,” he said. “It is a human cost that cannot be tolerated.”

He granted a temporary restraining order blocking the cuts requested by the unions, saying he believed the evidence would ultimately show that the job cuts were illegal and exceeded authority.

The decision came after federal agencies on Friday began issuing notices of layoffs aimed at reducing the size of the federal government. The layoff notices are part of an effort by the Republican Trump administration to put more pressure on Democratic lawmakers as the government shutdown continues.

The American Federation of Government Employees and other federal unions had asked Illston for a temporary restraining order preventing the administration from issuing new layoff notices and implementing those that had already been sent. Unions said the layoffs were an abuse of power designed to punish workers and pressure Congress.

Photo AP/J. Scott Apple White

Illston’s order came as the shutdown, which began Oct. 1, entered its third week. Democratic lawmakers are demanding that any deal to reopen the federal government address their health care demands. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson predicted the shutdown could become the longest in history, saying he “won’t negotiate” with Democrats until they pause those demands and reopen.

Democrats have demanded that health care subsidies, first implemented in 2021 and expanded a year later, be expanded again. They also want any government funding bill to reverse the Medicaid cuts in Trump’s big tax breaks and spending cuts bill passed this summer.

In a court filing, the administration said it planned to lay off more than 4,100 employees at eight agencies.

Unions say the layoff notices are an illegal attempt at political pressure and retaliation and are based on the false premise that a temporary funding halt eliminates congressional authorization of agency programs.

The government says the district court lacks jurisdiction to hear employment decisions made by federal agencies.

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