Federal judge rules Trump administration must reinstate probationary employees in six departments
A federal judge has ruled against the Trump administration’s attempt to fire employees in their probationary periods at six government agencies, and ordered their reinstatement, Reuters reports.
The ruling from San Francisco-based judge William Alsup applies to the departments of defense, Treasury, veterans affairs, agriculture, energy and interior.
The order is effective immediately, and affects about 24,000 people total, Government Executive reports. The Trump administration’s widespread purge of probationary employees affected both new hires and veteran employees who had recently been given new positions:
Key events
Follow along on our Ukraine live blog for more on Trump and Rutte’s comments happening now:
The Trump-Rutte meeting is being held to discuss the costs of supporting Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia.
Trump said hundreds of billions of dollars are being spent and “really wasted” on defense for Ukraine.
He said: “It’s also a tremendous cost to the United States and other countries.”
Donald Trump is now meeting with Nato secretary general Mark Rutte at the White House.
‘I think annexation of Greenland will happen,’ says Trump
Trump told reporters during a meeting in the Oval Office: “I think that will happen,” when asked about the annexation of Greenland.
Despite Trump’s claim that owning Denmark would be good “for purposes of National Security and Freedom” and benefit the country, Denmark has said Greenland is not for sale.
You can follow more live coverage of Trump’s meeting with Nato secretary general Rutte in our Europe live blog:
Jewish protesters are flooding Trump Tower’s lobby to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil
Protesters with the organization, Jewish Voice for Peace, were arrested by police on Thursday while demonstrating against the detainment of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, a permanent US resident, over his role in the Columbia University campus protests against Israel’s war on Gaza.
Protesters chanted: “Bring Mahmoud home now!” And held signs that said “Jews say Free Mahmoud & Free Palestine” and “Fight Nazis Not Students”.
One protester, Debra Winger, accused the Trump administration of “co-opting antisemitism” to advance their political agenda.
“I’m just standing up for my rights, and I’m standing up for Mahmoud Khalil, who has been abducted illegally and taken to an undisclosed location,” Winger told the Associated Press. “Does that sound like America to you?”
Khalil is not charged with any crime, but remains in an immigration detention center in Louisiana.
Lawmakers are reacting to the news that many federal employees cut by the “department of government efficiency” will be reinstated.
The Democratic House representative Robert Garcia of California said: “Great news for tens of thousands of federal employees! Trump and Musk were just ordered to reinstate fired probationary employees immediately.
“We are starting to win big against DOGE in the courts. We need to be all in. Resistance. Protests. The Courts. Fight every single day.”
Federal judge rules Trump administration must reinstate probationary employees in six departments
A federal judge has ruled against the Trump administration’s attempt to fire employees in their probationary periods at six government agencies, and ordered their reinstatement, Reuters reports.
The ruling from San Francisco-based judge William Alsup applies to the departments of defense, Treasury, veterans affairs, agriculture, energy and interior.
The order is effective immediately, and affects about 24,000 people total, Government Executive reports. The Trump administration’s widespread purge of probationary employees affected both new hires and veteran employees who had recently been given new positions:
The day so far
Donald Trump has announced, or is reported to soon announce, several new and significant policies. The president will reportedly make good on his campaign promise to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to assist his mass deportation plan, a law best known for its involvement in Japanese internment. He threatened 200% tariffs on French wine and other beverage imports from the European Union, in retaliation for their own retaliatory tariffs. And the military is reportedly drawing up plans to take control of the Panama Canal in line with Trump’s desire to do so, though whether they use force is an open question. But it’s not all smooth sailing for the White House – they’ve pulled the nomination of a vaccine skeptic to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reportedly because he would not have had the votes for confirmation.
Here’s what else has happened:
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The IRS could face a major staff reduction right after tax day, under a plan to be proposed by the “department of government efficiency”, CNN reports.
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Pete Buttigieg ruled out a run for Michigan’s Senate seat next year, which leaves the Democratic former transportation secretary available to seek the presidency in 2028, should he choose.
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Trump tariff bluster may not be pleasing Americans, a new poll finds.
IRS faces 20% staff cut in Doge downsizing plan – report
The Internal Revenue Service could see its staff cut by 20% as part of the department of government efficiency’s (Doge) campaign to reduce the size of federal departments, CNN reports.
The layoffs would come one month after the 15 April deadline for American taxpayers to file their returns. Federal agencies have a deadline of today to submit their plans for restructure, which will likely lead to further mass firings of employees.
Here’s what we know about the proposed cutbacks at the IRS:
The details of the IRS proposal have been laid out in an email from DOGE and will be discussed at a meeting among agency leadership Thursday morning, according to a source familiar with the matter who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. The proposal has not been made public.
The latest round of layoffs would terminate nearly 6,800 employees — on top of about 6,700 probationary employees who have already been fired and 4,700 employees who took the “voluntary buyout” known as the “Fork in the Road” program from the Trump administration.
Echoing concerns sounded by experts and other employees, the source says these cuts could impact the amount of revenue the IRS brings in and that could ripple through the federal government as IRS funds nearly all government operations. While April 15 is the deadline for tax returns to be filed, the agency processes tax returns year-round.
“Depending upon how we effectuate these cuts, it could dramatically reduce revenue, dramatically reduce customer service,” the source said, adding that the cuts could also impact voluntary tax compliance.
“If we are not auditing much, it impacts people’s willingness to file honestly in the first place,” the source said.
Republican congressman Thomas Massie told Fox News Donald Trump’s attacks have helped him rake in campaign cash.
Massie agrees with Trump on many issues, but nonetheless attracted the president’s ire for refusing to back a measure to fund the government through September, which the House passed on Tuesday. Here’s what he told Fox about how that benefited his campaign operation:
“In less than three days, I’ve received $261,000 through 3,203 individual donations, without sending an email, a text, or a phone call. It’s a fundraising record for me and it’s boosted my current cash on hand north of $1.1 million,” Massie said in a statement.
After Trump took a swing at Massie in a Truth Social post on Monday night, the congressman responded in a tweet on Tuesday by soliciting campaign donations.
“I’ve drawn opponents in my last three primaries who knew they couldn’t run to the right of me, so they ran to the Trump of me,” Massie said in his statement to Fox News Digital on Thursday.
“Overwhelmingly, in each instance, voters in Kentucky rejected them because I have a decade of consistently putting America and my constituents first. None of my opponents received more than 20% of the vote, but that’s because we ran excellent campaigns with the resources needed to win. For instance, my allies and I spent $2,000,000 in my 2020 primary when Trump attacked me for opposing the COVID bailouts. That’s why I’m taking this threat seriously and asking for grassroots donations on X,” Massie noted.
Treasury secretary Scott Bessent ran into reporters at the White House today, who wanted to know if he thought Donald Trump’s escalating tariff barrage was a good idea.
The levies on imports from major US trading partners and allies have caused stock market volatility and prompted fears a recession is coming. Bessent shrugged off those concerns, and said the biggest threat to the economy is a government shutdown that he blames on Democrats.
“I’m not concerned about the short term,” Bessent said, adding, “We want to protect the American worker [and] a lot of these trade deals haven’t been fair.”
“But I can tell you what’s not good for the economy is this government shutdown. I don’t know what Democrats are thinking here, because they’re going to own it, and to the extent that it hurts confidence, it hurts the American people,” Bessent said.
His comments came after Senate Democrats yesterday vowed to oppose a bill to fund the government through September, prompting a standoff ahead of a Friday at midnight deadline to prevent a shutdown:
Pete Buttigieg has publicly announced his decision not to seek Michigan’s Senate seat next year, which will leave him free to run for president in 2028.
In an essay on his Substack, the former transportation secretary doesn’t mention another bid for the White House, but it’s the subtext to his piece:
Though an adopted and relatively new Michigander, it wasn’t long before I was approached about potentially running for office here. Next year will bring elections for the Governor’s office and for one of our state’s seats in the U.S. Senate. I thought seriously about both, especially after being encouraged by some of the leaders in Michigan whom I most respect, as well as by people I’ve encountered when I’m picking up groceries, catching a flight, or at the mall with my family. I’ve had long conversations with neighbors, advisors, friends, elected officials, and with Chasten about whether to run. I reflected on what I could offer in light of the exceptionally high standards of leadership and service set by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Senator Debbie Stabenow, and Senator Gary Peters. I considered what I could bring to the race compared to other likely candidates, and what running and serving would mean compared to other ways I could make a difference in the years ahead.
I care deeply about the outcome of both races, but I have decided against competing in either. My party has a deep and talented bench here in Michigan, and I am certain that we will nominate an outstanding candidate for each office. Here in Michigan and around the country, I remain enthusiastic about helping candidates who share our values – and who understand that in this moment, leadership means not only opposing today’s cruel chaos, but also presenting a vision of a better alternative.