Majority federal workers' union take Trump's buyouts to court

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest federal government employee union demanded the Trump administration block the employee waiver offers, calling it "an arbitrary, unlawful, short-fused ultimatum which workers may not be able to enforce." Additionally, 12 Democratic prosecutors, led by Letitia James, warned that the proposal is "misleading."

The complaint, filed against the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), claims that the agency violated the Administrative Procedures Act by hastily launching a bid without available funding and providing conflicting guidance on the procedures to follow:

"The Fork Directive is arbitrary and capricious in numerous respects, including that the Directive: (1) fails to consider possible adverse consequences of the Directive provided to millions of federal employees to the continuing functioning of government; (2) offers conflicting information about employees’ rights and obligations if they accept the government’s offer; (3) runs counter to long-standing rules and requirements for federal employees; (4) is contrary to reasoned practices of government restructuring, (5) ignores history and practices around effective workforce reduction, (6) sets an arbitrarily short deadline; and (7) is pretext for removing and replacing government workers on an ideological basis."

In addition, the AGFE questions also the economic part of the proposal, citing several challenges the administration faces in this area. First, it extends beyond the current government funding plan, which runs only until March. The lawsuit also argues that the initiative may violate the Anti-Deficiency Act, which prohibits the government from spending beyond its budget and mandates that federal funds be used as intended.

Progressive prosecutors are, once again, at the forefront of the Democratic guerrilla against Trump

Something the progressive prosecutors also point to in their joint statement. In the document, James stressed that "benefits touted as part of the 'deferred resignation' program being offered to nearly all full-time federal employees may not be assured."

"President Trump’s so-called buyout offers are nothing more than the latest attack on federal workers and the services they provide. These supposed offers are not guaranteed. Federal employees should be cautious and follow the guidance of their unions to protect their rights. Attacking our federal workforce will only cause more chaos and confusion for Americans, and will diminish the quality of services our government provides. We will continue to fight back against any attempt to jeopardize the federal support and programs our states’ residents rely on."

"An attack aimed at dismantling our federal workforce"

Her colleague in Arizona, fellow Democrat Kris Mayes, went a step further and called the proposal "absolutely untrustworthy." Rob Bonta, the attorney general of California, also spoke in a combative tone, stating that it was "an attack aimed at dismantling our federal workforce and sowing chaos for Americans who depend on a functioning government." From Michigan, Dana Nessel urged workers to "read the fine print before signing" and advised them to follow their unions' instructions.

"Trump allowed an unelected billionaire with no constitutional authority to intimidate civil servants"

Of course, references to the person considered the mastermind behind this movement, Elon Musk, were inevitable. New Jersey's attorney general, Democrat Matthew Platkin, said: 

"President Trump has allowed an unelected billionaire with no constitutional authority to intimidate the officials who keep our government functioning in an attempt to drive them out of their jobs."