A judge temporarily barred the Trump administration from carrying out sweeping cuts and layoffs at over a dozen government agencies late Friday, part of a massive federal cost-cutting drive led by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ruled the plaintiffs — a group of federal employee unions — are likely to show that the Trump administration’s attempts to reorganize and downsize the federal government exceed its legal authority. Illston wrote that President Trump “likely must request Congressional cooperation to order the changes he seeks.”
Illston’s temporarily restraining order blocks a litany of federal agencies from taking any further steps to carry out a February executive order telling agencies to draw up plans for large-scale job cuts. The affected agencies — covering a wide swath of the government — can’t continue laying off staff or put workers on administrative leave in order to comply with Mr. Trump’s order. The order also blocks “any further orders by DOGE to agencies to cut programs or staff” in accordance with the executive order.
The order will remain in effect for at least 14 days while the judge considers the case.
It applies to DOGE and 20 federal agencies, including the Office of Management and Budget, the Social Security Administration and the departments of State, Treasury, Commerce, Veterans Affairs and more.
CBS News has reached out to the White House for comment.
The Trump administration has sought to dramatically reorganize the government and downsize the federal workforce — a gambit it argues is designed to cut bureaucratic bloat and save taxpayer money. But federal unions and Democratic lawmakers view the moves as unlawful and disruptive to public services. The effort is led by Musk, whose team at DOGE has become embedded in virtually every major federal agency.
The administration has already laid off or offered buyouts to thousands of staff, often focusing on probationary workers who are relatively new to federal service. Plans for deeper cuts are in the works at some agencies.
In February, the Office of Personnel Management — essentially the federal government’s human resources arm — ordered government agencies to make plans for a “significant reduction” in the number of staff.
The lawsuit that led to Friday’s restraining order alleges these moves are an “unconstitutional dismantling of the federal government by the President of the United States on a scale unprecedented in this country’s history and in clear excess of his authority.”
The suit argues Mr. Trump doesn’t have the power to reorganize and slash federal agencies without authorization from Congress.
The lawsuit also argues DOGE, the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management don’t have the legal authority to order sweeping government-wide cuts.
The Trump administration has pushed back, writing in legal filings that “Congress has expressly authorized federal agencies to engage in [reductions-in-force] and has done so for nearly 150 years.” It notes the Trump administration’s executive orders and memos specifically said agencies’ cost-cutting plans should follow the law, and argues the administration provided “broad guidance” rather than dictating specific layoffs.
Illston largely sided with the plaintiffs Friday, writing they are likely to show Mr. Trump, DOGE, OMB and OPM exceeded their authority. The judge also said the plaintiffs presented evidence that agencies have made cuts “at the direction of the President and his team,” rather than treating the administration’s memos as general guidance.
The Trump administration’s cost-cutting drive has run into several other lawsuits. In March, a federal judge ordered the administration to rehire thousands of probationary workers. The Supreme Court later paused that ruling while the litigation plays out.
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