Unions call on US judge to halt 1,300 State Department layoffs

Unions representing employees of the U.S. State Department have petitioned a federal judge to prevent the agency from moving forward with the dismissal of more than 1,300 workers, marking the latest legal confrontation over widespread reductions under President Donald Trump's administration.

In a filing submitted late Wednesday to a San Francisco federal court, the unions highlighted that the upcoming layoffsincluding roughly 1,100 civil service roles and nearly 250 U.S. Foreign Service positionsviolate a law passed by Congress last month following a 43-day government shutdown.

The legislation, known as a continuing resolution, bars federal agencies from carrying out layoffs until January 30. The administration has argued that this restriction does not apply to reductions announced before the shutdown began on October 1, such as the State Department cuts initially revealed in July.

The American Federation of Government Employees and the American Foreign Service Association countered in their filing that the administration's interpretation is incorrect. They requested that U.S. District Judge Susan Illston issue an injunction by Friday morning to temporarily halt the layoffs while litigation proceeds.

Morale within the Foreign Service is reportedly very low. A recent survey conducted by the American Foreign Service Association found that 98% of the 2,000 participants reported poor morale, and 86% stated that changes since the start of the Trump administration had hindered their ability to carry out U.S. foreign policy. Only 1% noted any improvement.

The filing follows a lawsuit initiated by the unions in October, aiming to stop multiple federal agencies, including the State Department, from terminating over 4,000 employees during the government shutdown. Judge Illston previously sided with the unions, ruling that such layoffs do not constitute essential government operations that must continue during a shutdown.

Earlier in May, Illston had also temporarily blocked planned federal layoffs in a case brought by worker unions, challenging a major component of Trump's strategy to downsize and restructure government agencies. While the U.S. Supreme Court later paused that injunction in July, the administration scaled back layoffs after many employees opted for buyouts or early retirement.

Author: Ava Mitchell