Trump Wins Major Legal Fight, DOGE Downsizing Cleared To Proceed

The Trump administration achieved a notable legal success on Thursday when a federal judge ruled that its buyout program for the federal workforce, designed to reduce government employment, may proceed. This decision represents a pivotal moment for President Donald Trump’s ongoing efforts to downsize the federal government, a key objective of his administration since his return to the White House.

The initiative, referred to as the “Fork in the Road” program, provides federal employees with a severance package equivalent to approximately eight months of salary and benefits if they voluntarily resign by a designated deadline. To date, around 75,000 federal employees—approximately 3% of the civilian workforce—have accepted this offer, marking the largest voluntary reduction in workforce in recent history.

Trump has consistently criticized the federal bureaucracy as being inefficient and biased against him. His administration has also instructed government agencies to prepare for extensive job cuts, with some departments already initiating layoffs of recent hires who do not possess full job security.

This program was developed with contributions from billionaire entrepreneur and DOGE leader Elon Musk, who provides advice on reducing government spending, with the goal of streamlining operations and decreasing federal costs.

“75,000 individuals have accepted the buyout program. This will save millions of dollars for American taxpayers, which is precisely our aim,” Karoline Leavitt stated to reporters on Thursday. “We established a deadline, and that deadline has been met. 75,000 individuals accepted the offer.”

A ruling from U.S. District Judge George O’Toole Jr. in Boston lifted the temporary restraining order that had been placed on the program the previous week. In his ruling, Judge O’Toole concluded that the unions representing federal employees did not possess the legal standing to contest the directive, as the resignation offer did not directly affect them.The plaintiffs in this case are not directly affected by the directive, as noted by O’Toole in his ruling. They claim that the directive leads to indirect consequences, such as reallocating resources to address inquiries from members regarding the directive, a potential decline in membership, and possible damage to their reputation.

The unions lack the necessary direct interest in the Fork Directive, yet they are contesting a policy that impacts others, particularly employees within the executive branch. The judge emphasized that this is insufficient grounds for their challenge.

The directive permits certain executive branch employees to resign by September 30, 2025, while continuing to receive their salaries until the end of the fiscal year, with the possibility of seeking other employment. The unions contended that the directive violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and requested a temporary restraining order to delay the February 6 deadline for employees to accept the offer.

Initially, the court suspended the enforcement of the deadline; however, it ultimately ruled against the unions, lifting the restraining order and denying any further injunctive relief. The judge’s ruling enables the program to move forward as intended, allowing the thousands of federal employees who have already chosen to participate in the buyout to officially resign from their positions.

This ruling represents a legal victory for Trump, whose administration has encountered numerous challenges to its policy measures. In recent weeks, the administration has been involved in various legal disputes concerning executive orders, regulatory changes, and personnel decisions, with courts often intervening to block or postpone significant policies.