Judge Halts Trump's 'Politically Motivated' Layoffs in Shutdown Power Struggle

A federal judge has indefinitely barred the Trump administration from firing thousands of federal employees during the ongoing government shutdown, marking a significant legal challenge to the administration's controversial workforce reductions. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco granted a preliminary injunction on Tuesday, halting the "reductions in force" (RIF) layoffs while a lawsuit contesting their legality proceeds. The ruling expands on a temporary restraining order issued earlier in the crisis, which was set to expire on October 23, according to a U.S. News report. Illston, a Clinton appointee, has criticized the administration's actions as "politically motivated" and "not well thought out," noting that layoff notices were even sent to furloughed employees' work emails, AP News reported.

The administration has targeted federal jobs in education, health, and other sectors it deems aligned with Democratic priorities, issuing over 4,100 RIF notices since late October, the U.S. News report said. Labor unions, including the American Federation of Government Employees, argue the firings are an abuse of power designed to pressure Congress and penalize workers. The White House has defended the layoffs as necessary to prioritize funding for military personnel and law enforcement, but critics warn the move undermines congressional authority over spending, a U.S. News analysis said.

The shutdown, now in its 28th day, has already disrupted federal services, left 800,000 workers unpaid, and raised alarms about impending food aid cuts. Meanwhile, a reclusive billionaire, Timothy Mellon, has privately donated $130 million to cover military pay, a gesture Trump praised but refused to publicly credit. The donation, accepted under emergency authority, has sparked legal scrutiny for potentially violating the Antideficiency Act, which prohibits using non-congressionally appropriated funds, The Guardian reported.

Historically, government shutdowns were seen as tools to enforce federal law, but Trump's approach has introduced a new political dimension. Unlike past administrations, which applied shutdown protocols uniformly, Trump's team has selectively redirected funds and openly blamed Democrats for the crisis. "This is a kind of freewheeling presidential appropriation power," said Charles Tiefer, a former congressional counsel, calling it a "contradiction of the Constitution and the Antideficiency Act," AP News noted.

Democrats have leveraged the crisis to resist Republican budget demands, refusing to reopen the government until expiring health care subsidies are extended. House Speaker Mike Johnson, however, insists negotiations will only begin once a funding bill passes. The standoff has drawn comparisons to Trump's 2019 shutdown over border wall funding, which lasted 35 days—the longest in U.S. history, the AP reported.

As the legal battle over RIFs continues, the broader shutdown underscores growing tensions over presidential power and congressional authority. With federal food assistance programs set to expire soon, the crisis shows no signs of abating.