Judge temporarily blocks Donald Trump’s plan offering incentives for federal staff to resign

US District Judge directs officials to extend deadline to apply for the programme; hearing scheduled for Monday

Washington: A federal judge on Thursday blocked President Donald Trump‘s plan to push out federal employees by offering them financial incentives.

The ruling came hours before the midnight deadline for workers to apply for the deferred resignation programme, which has been commonly described as a buyout.

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US District Judge George O’Toole Jr in Boston did not express an opinion on the legality of the programme. He scheduled a hearing for Monday at 2 pm EST.

He also directed administration officials to extend the deadline to apply for the programme until after the hearing.

Several labour unions have sued over Trump’s plans, which were orchestrated by Elon Musk, a top adviser. The Republican president is trying to downsize and reshape the federal workforce.