A coalition of 21 attorneys general, including New York Attorney General Letita James, on Sunday filed an amicus brief opposing the Trump administration's federal employee buyout plan, arguing it would have devastating consequences for public services and state operations.
The coalition includes the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and the District of Columbia, according to a press release.
The brief supports a motion for a temporary restraining order filed by unions representing more than 800,000 federal workers, including veterans’ healthcare providers, school bus drivers, civil engineers and emergency responders.
The attorneys general argue that the administration’s “unlawful” directive, which encourages employees to resign, would affect crucial service delivery to millions of Americans, including response during natural disasters and support for veterans. They further argue that it does not inform the employees about their pensions, health benefits and reinstatement rights among others.
“The administration’s plan to eliminate thousands of federal employees' jobs is dangerous and would be disastrous for our country. Millions of Americans rely on federal employees for crucial services like healthcare, childcare, transportation, emergency response and more,” said James. “Without the work of thousands of federal employees, communities across the country will suffer.”
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, argues that the directive has caused confusion and distress among federal employees, who were given an arbitrary deadline to accept the buyout offer. On Feb. 6, U.S. District Court Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. issued a stay on the directive’s deadline until Monday, Feb. 10, with a hearing scheduled for 2:00pm.
Earlier this month, James led a coalition of 11 attorneys general in warning federal employees about the directive and advising them to consult their unions before making a decision.