US judge delays deadline for Musk's 'resign or be fired' buyout scheme for federal employees
A US judge has temporarily halted Elon Musk's controversial buyout plan for federal employees, delaying the deadline aimed at reducing government workforce size.
Elon Musk's scheme to slash the size of the US government by instilling "panic" and encouraging federal workers to quit through a mass buyout instead of facing future culling was suspended by a judge on Thursday (Feb 6). This comes as 40,000 people have already taken up the offer, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
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A federal judge in the state of Massachusetts has ordered a temporary injunction that delays the plan's deadline from Thursday midnight to Monday (Feb 10). The decision was delivered by US District Judge George O'Toole during a hearing in an appeal brought by US labour unions.
What was going to happen on midnight Thursday?
Thursday (Feb 7) midnight was the earlier deadline by which more than two million federal government employees were supposed to decide whether they'll resign with eight months' pay or risk being fired in future culls.
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Already, over 40,000 staff have accepted the buyout deal, reports AFP. However, unions representing around 800,000 civil servants and Democratic members of the US Congress are resisting the scheme and have challenged the legality of the Trump administration's threat to fire them.
What does Musk have to do with this?
Musk, a close Donald Trump ally was roped in to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the Trump 2.0 administration and is believed to be the mastermind behind this money-cutting scheme.
(With inputs from agencies)
