US judge clears the way for tens of thousands of federal workers to take Trump buyout [View all]

BOSTON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of U.S. civil servants were cleared to take a buyout from Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday after a federal judge ruled the unprecedented downsizing effort could proceed.

About 75,000 workers have signed up for the buyout, said a spokesperson for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, equal to 3% of the civilian workforce. Trump's administration has promised to pay their salaries through October without requiring them to work, though unions have warned the offer is not trustworthy.


Unions representing federal workers had sued to stop the program, and had delayed it for six days while U.S. District Judge George O'Toole in Boston considered the issue. But the judge ruled on Wednesday that the unions did not have legal standing to bring the lawsuit and said the issue needed to be tackled in other forums before landing in court.

The administration said the program is now closed to new applicants.

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