A federal judge on Thursday ruled that President Trump’s efforts to shrink the federal workforce can continue while legal proceedings unfold, rejecting a request from labor unions to temporarily block the firing of federal employees and other actions affecting government workers.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, who serves on the federal district court in Washington, D.C., denied the unions’ request, stating in a 16-page decision that he lacked jurisdiction over the claims. Cooper, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, said that under the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute, such disputes must be handled through the Federal Labor Relations Authority.
More than 12,000 federal employees have already been or are expected to be fired, including over 6,000 at the Internal Revenue Service, which is planning additional terminations by the end of the month, according to a source familiar with the agency’s plans.
