Judge Blocks Trump, Musk's Plan to Shrink US Government

Photo : AP

A judge in Massachusetts has stopped Elon Musk’s to make the US government smaller by asking workers to leave their jobs for money. The judge said the plan must wait until Monday, when he will decide if it is legal. Before this, Musk gave a deadline of Thursday midnight for government workers to decide.

Stay informed with the latest news. Follow DXB News Network on WhatsApp Channel  

Musk’s idea, made through a new department called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), gave over two million government workers two choices: leave their jobs and take eight months’ salary or stay and risk losing their jobs later. The plan is part of a bigger effort by President Trump to reduce the number of government workers.

So far, about 40,000 workers have taken the offer, said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. But this is a small number compared to the total number of government employees. Labor unions, which support around 800,000 workers, are strongly against this plan. They say it is unfair and illegal to threaten workers with job loss.

This plan has already caused big problems in many government offices. One of the worst-hit departments is USAID, the agency that helps other countries with food, medicine, and emergency aid. Many workers from USAID have been asked to return to the US, and Trump’s team has said the agency wastes money. There are reports that the number of USAID workers will go down from 10,000 to less than 300.

Randy Chester, a leader of a government workers’ group, warned that these job cuts will harm many people. “Soon, we will have to stop giving food to people who need it because there will be no workers left to do the job,” he said.

A lawyer named Robin Thurston has taken legal action against the Trump team for removing so many workers from USAID. She said it is against the law for Trump’s team to take control of an agency in this way.

Trump has also said many times that he wants to close the Department of Education. Musk’s offer to pay workers for leaving has now been given to CIA employees too, making people worry about national security.

There is also a plan to sell off half of all government buildings, except for those owned by the military, to cut costs.

White House Press Secretary Leavitt said the plan is a “great opportunity” for workers. She told them they should take the offer and leave. She also said the government will find “better” workers to replace those who are leaving.

One of the biggest worries is how much access Musk has to secret government data. Reports say he may have access to the entire system that controls US government payments. However, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said only two Treasury workers were allowed to see the data, and they could only look at it, not change anything.

A new problem came up when one of those two workers quit after it was discovered that he had shared racist and offensive ideas on social media.

People are also asking whether Trump has the legal right to make this offer and whether the government will actually pay those who leave. The plan was first shared with government workers in an email called “Fork in the Road,” the same words Musk used when he bought Twitter and changed its name to X.

Musk described the plan as a “break” for workers. “Take the vacation you always wanted, or just relax and watch movies while getting your full salary,” he said.

Unions, however, have warned workers not to trust this plan. They say Trump’s team cannot use government money like this without approval from Congress, so the offer may not even be real.

“Government workers should not be fooled by rich businessmen and their tricks,” said Everett Kelley, the head of a big government workers’ union.

A worker from the US Office of Personnel Management, where Musk has put his own people in charge, said the goal is to make workers afraid.

“We want people to panic and leave their jobs, so the government becomes weak. That is what they want,” the worker said, without revealing their name.

Now that the court has stepped in, Musk’s plan is uncertain. The judge will decide on Monday if the plan can continue or if it must be stopped.

#trending #latest #USGovernment #ElonMusk #TrumpAdministration #FederalWorkers #JobCuts #GovernmentShutdown #USAID #LaborRights #LegalBattle #PublicSector #WorkforceReduction #PoliticalNews #BreakingNews #JudicialRuling #EmploymentCrisis #headlines #topstories #globalUpdate #dxbnewsnetwork #dxbnews #dxbdnn #dxbnewsnetworkdnn #bestnewschanneldubai #bestnewschannelUAE #bestnewschannelabudhabi #bestnewschannelajman #bestnewschannelofdubai #popularnewschanneldubai

Meta Platforms announced on Thursday that it will start testing community notes on its social media platforms in the US from March 18...Read More.

In 2024, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi treated over 1 million patients and conducted over 26,000 surgeries...Read More.