Court delays federal worker "buyout" deadline
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The deadline for federal workers to resign and take the White House up on its deferred resignation offer has reportedly been delayed again, pending the decision of a federal judge in Boston.
Why it matters: It's a win for the union challenging the "Fork in the road" offer, but also gives federal employees more time to make a decision on the deal, which is part of the White House effort to slash the civil service.
Zoom in: In a hearing Monday, U.S. District Court Judge George O'Toole, a Bill Clinton appointee, said a temporary restraining order issued last week would stay in place until he makes a ruling on the merits, according to a court filing.
- It's not clear when that will happen.
- "We believe at the end of the day the judge in this case will side with us," said Everett Kelley, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, one of the plaintiffs in the suit. "The way this program was rolled out was unlawful, and it needs to be done right."
- Agencies will continue to process resignations for the time being, a spokesperson from the Office of Personnel Management told Axios.
The big picture: So far more than 65,000 federal workers have indicated they plan on resigning, according to the Office for Personnel Management.
- That's about 3% of the 2.3 million federal workers.
- More recently, the IRS said workers critical to tax season couldn't take the offer until after tax season.
Catch up fast: The "buyout" deal went out last month to all federal workers in an email titled "A fork in the road."
- Federal workers have been reluctant to trust the offer, the contours of which have changed over the ensuing weeks.
- Lawyers and experts in administrative law said the deal was illegal on its face. The White House has firmly denied that and insisted the offer was fully legally valid.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with comment from the Office of Personnel Management and Everett Kelley.
