(AURN News) — Two powerhouse unions, the American Federation of Government Employees and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, have taken the Trump administration to court, accusing it of breaking the law with threats to permanently fire federal workers during the shutdown.
For decades, shutdowns have meant temporary furloughs with back pay, but this White House is pushing something unprecedented: mass layoffs in the middle of a funding lapse.
At stake are the jobs of 750,000 federal employees — from Social Security caseworkers to EPA scientists — and the vital services they provide.
Russell Vought, the current director of the Office of Management and Budget and an architect of Project 2025, issued a memo telling agencies to “use this opportunity” to cut staff. The lawsuit argues that is unlawful and amounts to political extortion.
If the administration’s plan for mass federal worker layoffs moves forward, it could gut entire agencies overnight, leaving families without paychecks and communities without protections.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
