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2h ago

Unions Sue to Block OMB, OPM Plan for Shutdown-Era Mass Firings

Plaintiffs say shutdown law bars using a funding lapse to carry out reductions in force.

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Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought at a news conference Monday about avoiding a shutdown ahead of the deadline to fund the government.
Helen Luryi, formerly of the Labor Department, wears a shirt that says "tenacious not traumatized," which is a reference to comments made by OMB Director Russell Vought, during a press conference near the U.S. Capitol.

Overview

  • Federal unions including AFGE and AFSCME filed suit in the Northern District of California seeking to enjoin mass layoffs tied to a potential shutdown.
  • The complaint asks the court to set aside an OMB memo urging agencies to consider RIF notices for work not aligned with the president’s priorities and OPM guidance allowing personnel actions during a lapse.
  • Plaintiffs argue agencies may only perform excepted functions to protect life and property during a shutdown and say past practice has been furloughs with back pay, not firings.
  • Reporting indicates agencies covering roughly two-thirds of federal workers have released plans favoring temporary furloughs, with widespread RIFs not implemented to date.
  • The filing cites President Trump’s remarks about using a shutdown to cut jobs and programs, and a separate Public Citizen Hatch Act complaint challenges partisan messaging posted by HUD and emails blaming Democrats.