Overview

• AFGE and AFSCME, represented by allied advocacy groups, filed for a temporary restraining order in the Northern District of California to stop potential firings.
• The filing seeks to prevent the administration from using the funding lapse to authorize reductions in force at agencies including EPA, Energy and Agriculture.
• The case is pending as legal scholars note courts have never ruled on whether a shutdown can justify permanent federal layoffs.
• President Trump said layoffs were happening “right now,” while the White House later said he meant furloughs and that permanent cuts remain under consideration.
• Experts warn officials could face liability under the Antideficiency Act if mass firings violate its limits, and attorneys note appeals would be complicated by the Merit Systems Protection Board’s lack of a quorum.