[Source: BBC NEWS]
A US judge has temporarily halted President Donald Trump’s plan offering incentives to federal workers to voluntarily resign before a Thursday midnight deadline.
Federal Judge George O’Toole Jr said the plan would be paused until a hearing on Monday when he could determine the merits of a lawsuit filed by federal employee unions, reports CBS, the BBC’s US partner.
The offer is part of an ongoing effort by the Trump administration to slash the size of the federal government.
The White House says more than 40,000 employees have accepted the offer to resign in exchange for pay until 30 September – though some expressed confusion about the terms of the deal.
The order came hours before Thursday’s 23:59 EST (04:59 GMT Friday) deadline for federal workers to accept the deal.
A lawyer for the justice department said federal employees would be notified that the deadline had been paused, CBS reported.
The White House, in a statement, appeared to see the temporary halt as a way to increase the number of resignations.
“We are grateful to the Judge for extending the deadline so more federal workers who refuse to show up to the office can take the Administration up on this very generous, once-in-a-lifetime offer,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
