Judge Lets Trump's Buyouts of Federal Workers Proceed

A federal judge removed the hold he'd placed on President Trump's buyouts of federal workers on Wednesday, ruling that neither he nor the unions that sued to block it can stop the plan. US District Judge George O'Toole had paused the buyouts on Thursday to let him consider the arguments of labor unions representing more than 800,000 workers that had sued to stop the program. In his ruling Wednesday, O'Toole said that the unions lack standing in the case and that his court lacks the authority to stop the Office of Personnel Management from carrying out the plan anyway, the Washington Post reports.

Workers have been agonizing over whether to accept the buyouts, which would pay them through September for resigning now. "The lack of clarity and the information that we are being given regarding the deferred resignation program is really making it difficult for people to make an informed decision," said a Washington, DC employee in a health care job, per CNBC. She decided against resigning but still worries about losing her job. "Every day, I open my computer to a potential new email" from the OMB and fears that one of them will say she's fired. "Millions of us are dealing with it." White House officials said roughly 65,000 workers have accepted the deal, per the Post. (More Trump administration stories.)