Judge Allows Trump To Implement ‘fork In The Road’ Deadline For Federal Workers

A federal judge is allowing the Trump administration to move forward with its plan to downsize the federal workforce by offering employees the option to resign now but stay on the payroll through September.

U.S. District Judge George O’Toole, an appointee of Bill Clinton, did not address whether the deferred-resignation program is legal. Instead, the judge ruled Wednesday that several unions that sued over the program lack legal standing to pursue the issue in court.

The program, termed the “Fork in the Road” and promoted by Trump adviser Elon Musk, originally had a deadline of Feb. 6 for workers to accept the offer.

Last week, O’Toole temporarily blocked the administration from enforcing that deadline while he considered the legal arguments in the case.

But on Wednesday, the Boston-based judge denied the unions’ request for a court order that would have required the government to continue to hold open the deadline while courts weigh the program’s legality.

The unions argued that the offer sent to more than two million federal employees lacked clear legal authorization and was deceptive because Congress has only funded the government through mid-March, so the administration cannot guarantee that workers who resign now will continue to be paid through September.