They remain enjoined from doing so following multiple court orders, but the Trump administration is now seeking relief before a potentially friendlier Supreme Court.
In a filing with the Supreme Court, the Trump administration said 40 RIF actions were underway at 17 agencies when the injunction came down.
Employees reported little in the way of official communication from leadership, but signs indicated the department was ready to begin implementation.
The State Department, meanwhile, is hoping to move forward with its RIFs even if the injunction remains in place.
An Interior employee said they want to have a final answer.
In the event that future decisions support the Trump administration, thousands of civil servants could lose their jobs as agencies throughout the government have prepared to swiftly carry out layoffs if a court order prohibiting them is lifted.
Many agencies are in a good position to promptly send notices to large segments of their workforces because, according to 10 current federal employees and internal documents obtained by Government Executive, a large portion of the work necessary to implement force reductions has already occurred or is ongoing. The Trump administration is now requesting relief before a potentially more lenient Supreme Court, but they are still prohibited from doing so by numerous court orders.
After a California district judge blocked President Trump’s previous reorganization plans and employee layoffs indefinitely, the majority of significant federal agencies are unable to implement them. An appeals court refused to block that order, and the Trump administration has requested the high court’s opinion. According to Justice Elena Kagan, the plaintiffs in that case have until next week to submit a response to the administration’s appeal.
When the injunction was issued, the Trump administration claimed in a Supreme Court filing that 40 RIF actions were in progress at 17 agencies.
If the injunction is lifted, the Interior Department wants to proceed quickly with its layoffs, according to multiple employees with knowledge of the situation. Before the court order, Interior was about to fire 1,000 workers at the U.S. National Park Service and 1,500 workers at the National Park Service. A. Geological Survey, 100–150 Bureau of Reclamation employees, and additional personnel at other agencies.
Although there was little official communication from leadership, according to employees, there were indications that the department was prepared to start implementation. According to an Interior human resources official, “It seemed like the department had everything in order right before the injunction was issued.”.
The official stated, “I would expect s— to happen fast.”.
“Preliminary efforts are still underway in the interest of preparedness,” according to one employee with knowledge of the planning, and they have observed “ongoing and clandestine readiness activities.”. According to a different official, the RIFs should take place “ASAP” after the possible injunction is lifted.
The official declared, “Everything is stacked and packed to go.”. Every file is ready, and the notices will probably be delivered “quickly and swiftly.”. “”.
According to an Interior regional employee, supervisors have urged staff members “to seek other opportunities if we need to,” but they have not provided specifics regarding the anticipated timeline of layoffs. “.”.
To help supervisors fire workers who are misbehaving or performing poorly, Interior has scheduled additional training for later this month. Although the training itself was not unique, the title, “Uncivil Servant – Holding Employees Accountable for Performance and Conduct,” surprised the staff. “”.
The Agriculture Department’s team is prepared to implement a significant restructuring as soon as the injunction is lifted, according to Secretary Brooke Rollins. It is anticipated that thousands of layoffs and relocations will be part of those reforms.
Progressive Farmer reports that during an event in Nebraska last month, Rollins told reporters, “The plan is ready.”. Our announcement is prepared. We can’t wait for it. The goal will be to realign and refocus USDA on its initial purpose. “.”.
“It got caught up in litigation,” she added, but the overhaul would be implemented “hopefully as soon as possible.”. “”.
According to one worker who was briefed on the plans at their USDA component, if the injunction is lifted, they anticipate that happening soon.
“They were prepared to go,” the worker stated. Therefore, I believe it will be released. “”.
According to another worker, there is an unsettling atmosphere at work because the leadership has stopped talking, all weekly meetings have been canceled, and some senior executives have been placed on temporary assignments at the state level to perform “busy work.”. “”.
The worker remarked, “It’s so quiet you can hear a mouse p— on cotton.”.
According to a USDA representative, the agency doesn’t comment on ongoing legal disputes. A request for comment was not answered by the Interior Department.
While this is going on, the State Department hopes to continue with its RIFs even if the injunction is upheld. The court said that would probably be against its mandate and will hold a hearing on the issue next week. It has informed the judge who issued it that its plans are independent of President Trump’s orders and are not, therefore, subject to the pause.
The state is still making progress, though. In order to “get ready for the reorganization,” State asked all civil service workers to upload their resumes to an internal website by June 13 in a message sent out Thursday evening. Additionally, they requested that employees confirm that all of the data in their personnel files was correct. In order for HR offices to make sure they are using the most recent data and assess an employee’s eligibility for other positions in the event of their layoff, those procedures are frequently taken right before agencies implement RIFs. Earlier, the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of the Interior issued comparable requests.
State could begin its layoffs as early as June 13, a Justice Department lawyer told the court this week. Government Executive initially reported that the state would lay off over 3,400 workers, but it will use both voluntary separations and force reductions to reach that goal.
The injunction prohibits certain agencies that have already issued RIF notices from actually separating their workforces. Typically, agencies are required to provide 30 or 60 days prior to the implementation of RIFs.
Under a different, education-specific injunction, the Education Department is required to reinstate workers who were served with RIF notices. The states that filed the lawsuit claimed that the department was not following the order because those employees were on administrative leave at the time. Next week, after the U.S. A. The Court of Appeals for the First Circuit denied the injunction this week.
Education recently messaged RIF-impacted employees to inform them that they would not be let go on June 10 as scheduled, but to inquire about any jobs they may have secured in the interim. The department wanted to know if workers would accept job offers or return to education.
In a similar vein, the Health and Human Services Department has been compelled to postpone the offboarding of the approximately 10,000 workers to whom it had previously sent notices of layoffs. Originally scheduled to be removed from the rolls by June 1st, those employees are still on paid administrative leave. Before the injunction, a lot more RIFs were anticipated, but the Internal Revenue Service has also started issuing them, which are currently on hold.
Because of the uncertainty, workers are becoming impatient. According to a current Education employee, some coworkers are trapped in a tough situation where they must choose between accepting new positions and hoping their reinstatements will last. Although they are skeptics that recall will ever occur, they do not want to accept another position if it occurs.
An official from the Interior stated that they would like a definitive response.
The employee stated, “I almost wish there hadn’t been a delay so we could just get it over with.”. “I believe it is unavoidable. “.”.
According to a USDA employee, they have two job offers and must choose between moving for them, which will present both financial and personal difficulties.
“I must know as soon as possible,” the worker stated. I would prefer to tear off the bandage right away. “”.
This report was written with assistance from David DiMolfetta and Natalie Alms.
