by Washington (AP) Despite concerns that hundreds of thousands of federal employees would lose their jobs and that vital government services would be cut, the Supreme Court on Tuesday approved President Donald Trump’s plans to reduce the size of the federal workforce.
The Department of Government Efficiency has been leading the cuts, and the judges overturned lower court decisions that temporarily halted them.
In an unsigned ruling, the court stated that the justices were simply presented with an executive order signed by Trump and an administration instruction for agencies to reduce employment, not any specific cuts.
Ketanji Brown, the Justice Jackson, the lone dissenting vote, accused her colleagues of showing a strong desire to approve this President’s legally questionable emergency measures.
Trump has frequently claimed that voters gave him the mandate to restructure the federal government, and he has chosen Elon Musk, a wealthy supporter, to spearhead this effort through DOGE. Musk quit his job not long ago.
Tens of thousands of government employees have been placed on leave, fired, or quit their employment through deferred resignation schemes. Although the exact number of job layoffs is unknown, thousands of probationary employees have already been let go, and at least 75,000 federal employees have taken deferred resignations.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston said in May that the Trump administration cannot make significant cuts to the federal workforce without congressional consent. A panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, by a vote of 2-1, declined to stay Illston’s order, concluding that the reduction may have wider implications, such as on the country’s food safety system and veteran health care.
Illston ordered many federal agencies to stop implementing the president’s executive order on workforce, which was signed in February, and a follow-up memo from the Office of Personnel Management and DOGE. Former Democratic President Bill Clinton nominated Illston.
The nonprofit organizations and labor unions that filed a lawsuit against the reduction gave the justices a number of examples of what would occur if it were permitted to go into force, including 40% to 50% cuts at various agencies.
The departments of Agriculture, Energy, Labor, the Interior, State, the Treasury, and Veterans Affairs are among the organizations impacted by the order. It also holds true for the Environmental Protection Agency, Social Security Administration, Small Business Association, and National Science Foundation.
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