20 State AGs sue Trump administration over mass layoffs

03/11/2025 / By Laura Harris

Twenty state attorneys general have filed a lawsuit in a Maryland federal court against the Trump administration, demanding the reinstatement of tens of thousands of probationary federal workers who were recently laid off without the legally required 60-day advance notice.
The lawsuit accuses the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) of directing federal agencies to conduct unlawful mass terminations of probationary employees without following proper procedures, causing sudden unemployment and straining state resources.
The sudden layoffs have led to a surge in unemployment and increased demand for state services, such as unemployment benefits and social support. States are struggling to identify which agencies conducted the layoffs and which workers need assistance.
It seeks a court order to halt the mass terminations and reinstate any workers who were fired on or after January 20, the day President Trump was inaugurated.
The Trump administration, through the Government Efficiency Commission, argues that the mass layoffs are necessary to address inefficiencies in the federal government. The administration plans to use executive action to implement these changes, bypassing congressional approval, to significantly reduce the federal workforce.

A coalition of 20 state attorneys general has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, demanding the reinstatement of tens of thousands of probationary workers recently laid off by federal agencies.

The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Maryland on March 6, accused the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) of directing 21 federal agencies of conducting unlawful mass terminations of probationary employees without providing the necessary 60 days of advance notice to workers and states.

Participating states include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.

“This has inflicted and will continue to inflict serious and irreparable harms on the Plaintiff States, as they must now deal with a sudden surge in unemployment, without the advance notice required under the federal (reduction in force) statute and regulations,” stated the lawsuit.

Moreover, the mass layoffs have strained state resources as terminated workers seek unemployment and other social services. The coalition also claims that the sudden terminations have made it difficult for states to identify which agencies have conducted layoffs and which terminated workers require state support. In turn, the lawsuit seeks a court order to stop the mass terminations of probationary workers and reinstate any workers fired on or after Jan. 20, the day President Trump was sworn in.

Trump: Mass layoffs necessary to address inefficiencies in the federal government

In November 2024, shortly after Trump’s presidential victory, then-forthcoming Government Efficiency Commission announced its intention to implement large-scale layoffs and mandatory in-office workdays for federal employees.

“We expect mass reductions,” supposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) former co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy said at that time. “We expect certain agencies to be deleted outright. We expect mass reductions-in-force in areas of the federal government that are bloated.” (Related: Trump Administration cuts 2,000 USAID jobs, places most employees on leave in sweeping reform effort.)

Moreover, Ramaswamy emphasized that DOGE will not require congressional approval to enact these changes. Instead, the president plans to utilize executive action to swiftly implement the proposed reforms. Ramaswamy, who previously campaigned on a promise to reduce the federal workforce by 75 percent, stated that the commission will focus on downsizing bloated areas of the government.

Now, this significant shift in federal employment practices, has been going on for several weeks since Trump takes office in January. Trump also clarified recently that he has been doing mass layoffs to address inefficiencies in the federal government.

Head over to Trump.news for more stories related to the president’s moves to streamline the bureaucracy.

Watch this video that talks about how the mass layoffs of 2008 and 2009 are happening again as companies try to avoid getting caught with bloated payrolls.

This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com.