Washington DC [US], February 7 : A US federal judge has temporarily delayed the deadline for federal employees to decide on the Trump administration's deferred resignation offer, which was initially set for February 6, CNN reported.
The new deadline is now Monday, following a lawsuit filed by several federal unions, including the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).
Just after 5 pm ET, the administration sent an email to federal workers notifying them of the court-ordered delay, however, the email did not mention the possibility of the judge further delaying the program during a hearing scheduled for Monday afternoon.
Before the judge's order, eligible federal employees had until 11:59 pm ET on Thursday to choose whether to accept the offer, which would allow them to leave their positions but still receive pay through the end of September.
Notably, the halt in the decision stems from a lawsuit that the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, (AFSCME), and the National Association of Government Employees filed in US District Court in Massachusetts on Tuesday seeking a temporary restraining order to halt the "Fork Directive" February 6 deadline.
The unions also sought to "require the government to articulate a policy that is lawful, rather than an arbitrary, unlawful, short-fused ultimatum which workers may not be able to enforce," CNN reported.
According to the AFGE, the "Fork Directive" is the latest attempt by the Trump-Vance administration to implement Project 2025's dangerous plans to remove career public service workers and replace them with partisan loyalists.
The "Fork Directive" amounts to a clear ultimatum to a sweeping number of federal employees: resign now or face the possibility of job loss without compensation in the near future.
US District Judge George O'Toole, appointed by President Bill Clinton, made the ruling after a brief hearing in which he stated he was halting the implementation of the plan while he reviewed more information on whether it should be blocked.
Federal unions have strongly urged members not to accept the package, questioning its legality and the ability of the Trump administration to follow through on its promises, CNN reported.
At least 65,000 federal workers have now opted into the deferred resignation programme, a White House official told CNN on Thursday.