Over 24,000 Federal Employees Reinstated After Mass Layoffs
Over the past several weeks, thousands of federal workers had been laid off by the Trump administration as a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) push to cut down on federal spending.
However, a federal judge ruled these terminations illegal and ordered at least 24,500 probationary employees to be reinstated.
Departments Affected
The reinstatements consisted of 18 departments. The most probationary workers reinstated were in the Treasury Department, with 7,613 terminations rescinded, including the Internal Revenue Service would made up 7,315 of these jobs.
The next highest was 5,714 workers in the Department of Agriculture, followed by the Department of Health and Human Services bringing back 3,248 workers.
Most of the reinstated federal employees have been placed on administrative leave, and some departments will offer back pay.
Trump officials are following an order set by U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar in Maryland.
Judge Bredar set a deadline for 1pm EDT on Monday for the reinstatements, following a lawsuit filed by attorney generals in 19 states and the District of Columbia, all Democrats.
The judge, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, ruled that the Trump administration did not follow proper rules for the layoffs, which included a requirement to notify states of the terminations, and the fabrication that workers were fired due to "performance".
Some departments have already reinstated their employees, who had been hired or promoted within the past year. Other departments stated they're in the process as of Monday.
However, Trump officials have argued that the reinstatement may cause "significant confusion and turmoil", especially if the workers are fired again weeks later if a higher court reverses the decision. They also claim it has created "substantial burdens" for agencies and employees.
Every employee that is reinstated will need to be onboarded again by their departments, including retraining, human resources paperwork, new security badges, reenrolling in benefits, reinstating appropriate security clearances, and more.
Here are the departments and employees the Trump administration is planning to reinstate:
Environmental Protection Agency: 419
Department of Energy: 555
Department of Commerce: 791
Department of Homeland Security: 310
Department of Transportation: 775
Department of Education: 65
Department of Housing and Urban Development: 299
Department of Interior: 1,710
Department of Labor: 167
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: 117
Small Business Administration: 298
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation: 156
Human Capital and Talen Management: 270
General Services Administration: 366
Treasury Department: 7,613 (including 7,315 IRS employees)
Department of Agriculture: 5,714
Department of Veterans Affairs: 1,683
Department of Health and Human Services: 3,248
Administrative Leave Not an Option
A separate order filed by U.S. District Judge William Alsup demanded thousands of other workers to be reinstated at the Defense, the Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Energy, Interior, and Treasury departments.
Judge William Alsup, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton, ruled that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) did not have the legal authority to order the mass firing of probationary federal employees and acted unlawfully. In a follow-up order on Monday, Alsup noted reports that some agencies were rehiring these employees but immediately placing them on administrative leave, which he stated violates his previous directive.
Alsup stated, "This is not allowed by the preliminary injunction, for it would not restore the services the preliminary injunction intends to restore."
He ordered these six departments to update the court Tuesday on the number of reinstated workers placed on leave.
Trump Administration Will Appeal
The Trump administration plans to appeal the judges' decisions.
The White House said these judges are trying to take away the president's power to hire and fire government employees, which they believe is unconstitutional.
Trump officials are particularly upset about rulings made by judges appointed by Democratic presidents. These judges have issued orders that stop the administration's plans not just in one area, but across the entire country. The White House claims this is an overreach of judicial power and an attempt to interfere with the president's ability to manage the government.
"I think it's absolutely ridiculous," Trump told reporters. "It's a judge that's putting himself in the position of the president of the United States, who was elected by close to 80 million votes. You're having more and more of that. It's a very, very dangerous thing for our country."
He added, "I would suspect we're going to have to get a decision from the Supreme Court."