BREAKING: Federal judge allows Trump admin's mass layoffs to proceed

A federal judge in Washinton, DC ruled on Thursday that the Trump administration and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) can continue its mass firings of federal employees, rejecting a bid from a group of labor unions.

The ruling from US District Judge Christopher Cooper is temporary and allows the Trump administration to continue purging the federal workforce as litigation continues, Reuters reported.

The National Treasury Employees Union and four other unions brought forth a lawsuit last week to block the administration from firing hundreds of thousands of employees and offering a buyout program for employees who voluntarily quit. That buyout program has since ended. The unions are seeking to block eight agencies from implementing mass layoffs, including the Department of Defense, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Health and Human Services. 

Cooper said that he likely lacks the power to hear the case, and said that the unions should instead file their complaints with the federal labor board that hears disputes between unions and federal agencies. 

The plaintiffs include the National Treasury Employees Union, the National Federation of Federal Employees, and the United Auto Workers. They claimed that the White House’s efforts to shrink the federal workforce, including through DOGE, undermines Congress’ authority to fund federal agencies and therefore, violates the separation of powers principles.

Elon Musk, head of DOGE, wrote in response to the ruling, "Shifting people from low to negative productivity jobs in the government sector to high productivity roles in the commercial sector will greatly improve the average standard of living."