In a dramatic turn of events, the White House faces mounting challenges from the judiciary as it grapples with uncertainty over its compliance with legal rulings, even those from the US Supreme Court. Meanwhile, federal employees are bracing for substantial layoffs as President Donald Trump and Elon Musk move forward with their pledge to trim the workforce. On Tuesday, Elon Musk slashed nearly $1 billion in contracts for the US Department of Education, effectively dismantling an independent research arm designed to collect data on student achievement.
The decision to proceed with buyout offers received judicial backing when US District Judge George O’Toole Jr. ruled in favor of the plan on Wednesday. This ruling paved the way for termination notices to be issued to employees across several federal agencies, including the Department of Education, the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and the General Services Administration (GSA).
Since Trump's inauguration as the 47th president on January 20, Musk, alongside the controversial administration, has rapidly dismantled several US agencies, notably including the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Approximately 75,000 federal workers, representing about 3.75% of the federal workforce, have accepted resignation offers thus far.
"This goes to show that 'lawfare' will not ultimately prevail over the will of 77 million Americans who supported President Trump and his priorities."
— Karoline Leavitt
The program faced a temporary halt before its February 6 deadline due to legal action taken by unions representing federal employees. However, following O'Toole's ruling, similar notices were dispatched to around 100 recent hires at the GSA and 160 employees at the Department of Education on Wednesday. Musk added fuel to the fire with a provocative suggestion made during a video call to the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Thursday. He proposed that the US should "delete entire agencies" as part of a sweeping reform under the Trump administration.
"Today's ruling is a setback in the fight for dignity and fairness for public servants. But it's not the end of that fight."
— Everett Kelley
Musk reinforced his stance with an analogy:
"If you don't remove the roots of the weed, then it's easy for the weed to grow back. But if you remove the roots of the weed, it doesn't stop weeds from ever going back, but it makes it harder."
— Elon Musk
The latest round of layoffs coincided with Musk's announcement of a deferred resignation plan named the "Fork in the Road" program. Under this initiative, employees who agree to cease work prematurely would continue receiving pay until September 30. Despite this offer, reports suggest that fewer employees are signing up than Trump and Musk anticipated, which could lead to more compulsory layoffs.
Adding to the pressure on employees, letters were sent outlining their termination, stating:
"The Agency finds that you are not fit for continued employment because your ability, knowledge and skills do not fit the current needs, and your performance has not been adequate to justify further employment with the Agency."
As the federal workforce grapples with these sweeping changes, a new deadline for staff sign-ups looms large. The situation remains volatile as political and legal battles continue to unfold.