Judge Pauses Trump Plan to Cull Federal Workforce

A federal judge on Thursday blocked President Trump's plan to push out federal employees by offering them financial incentives, per the AP. The ruling came hours before the midnight deadline for workers to apply for the deferred resignation program, which has been commonly described as a buyout. US District Judge George O'Toole Jr. in Boston did not express an opinion on the legality of the program. He scheduled a hearing for Monday afternoon.

• The judge also directed administration officials to extend the deadline to apply for the program until after the hearing. Several labor unions have sued over Trump's plans, which were orchestrated by Elon Musk.
• As of Thursday morning, about 40,000 of 2 million federal workers had accepted the buyout, reports the Wall Street Journal. That would come up well short of the administration's goal of getting 5% to 10% or workers to sign on.
• Federal employees received an email reminder overnight Thursday of the deadline, warning, "There will NOT be an extension of this program," per the Washington Post. The email, like the original one on Jan. 28, used the phrase "Fork in the Road" in the subject line.

(More President Trump stories.)