Trump administration must halt some DOGE cuts at 20 federal agencies, judge rules

A judge temporarily barred the Trump administration from carrying out sweeping cuts and layoffs at over a dozen government agencies late Friday, part of a massive federal cost-cutting drive led by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ruled the plaintiffs — a group of federal employee unions — are likely to show that the Trump administration's attempts to reorganize and downsize the federal government exceed its legal authority. Illston wrote that President Trump "likely must request Congressional cooperation to order the changes he seeks."

Illston's temporarily restraining order blocks a litany of federal agencies from taking any further steps to carry out a February executive order telling agencies to draw up plans for large-scale job cuts. The affected agencies — covering a wide swath of the government — can't continue laying off staff or put workers on administrative leave in order to comply with Mr. Trump's order. The order also blocks "any further orders by DOGE to agencies to cut programs or staff" in accordance with the executive order.