Unions sue over Trump’s DOGE order that plans 'large-scale' government layoffs 

A coalition of unions representing federal employees sued Wednesday over President Trump’s executive order that lays the groundwork for mass layoffs across the government. 

Trump signed the order in the Oval Office Tuesday alongside Elon Musk, whose Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has looked to dismantle large aspects of the federal bureaucracy at a rapid pace. 

“The Unions bring this action to protect the workers they represent from the Executive Branch’s attempts to dismantle the federal government through the mass firings of hundreds of thousands of employees,” the lawsuit reads. 

Trump’s new order directs agencies to prepare for “large-scale reductions in force” and instructs DOGE personnel to develop new hiring plans. 

The lawsuit claims the move violates the separation of powers by undermining Congress’s power of the purse and violates regulations that dictate how the government can carry out mass workforce reductions.

Filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., the case also challenges the administration’s “Fork in the Road” buyout offer for federal employees.

Minutes after it was filed, a judge in Massachusetts overseeing a separate coalition of unions’ challenge to the buyouts allowed the program to proceed, finding those plaintiffs had no legal standing. 

The new lawsuit provides an additional vehicle for the plan to potentially be blocked. 

“In a span of a few weeks, Executive actions have targeted the federal civilian workforce in a way that attempts to stymie the statutory mission of their federal agencies. These actions, collectively, usurp Congress’s authority to create agencies and to empower those agencies to do the work that Congress has asked them to do,” it states. 

The lawsuit was filed by the National Treasury Employees Union, the National Federation of Federal Employees, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers and United Auto Workers. 

Some of those unions have filed other legal challenges to Trump and Musk’s sweeping bid to reduce the size of the federal government, some of nearly 70 lawsuits nationwide challenging major Trump administration actions since the inauguration.

The National Treasury Employees Union has also brought lawsuits that challenge Trump’s executive order enabling him to swiftly fire a broader group of federal employees and DOGE’s efforts at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

The National Federation of Federal Employees and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers have joined together for a separate challenge to DOGE’s efforts under federal privacy laws.