More than two dozen labor unions, cities, and nonprofits have filed a suit against the Trump administration, claiming that actions it has taken to shrink the Federal workforce violated the constitutional separation of powers and were unlawful.
The complaint filed on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco argued that the “unconstitutional dismantling” of the Federal workforce by President Donald Trump is in “clear excess” of his constitutional authority and lacked Congressional approval.
It follows an order by Trump in February that directed agency heads to reduce their workforces by cutting roles deemed unrelated to agency functions that have been authorized by congressional statutes.
“When the President takes for himself the legislative power of Congress to recreate federal agencies in the manner he sees fit, he violates the Constitution,” wrote the coalition in their suit. “And when the President does so across every federal agency, he threatens the very constitutional foundation of this nation.”
In his order to reduce the Federal workforce, Trump claimed that he would eliminate “waste, bloat, and insularity” and promote more efficient use of American taxpayer dollars.
Since February, a flurry of related lawsuits has been filed as tens of thousands of Federal workers have undergone layoffs which lawmakers and Federal officials alike have warned could harm the ability of the Federal government to operate.
One of the plaintiffs in the case includes the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which has led rallies and legal battles – such as those defending probationary workers and protecting personal data from getting into the hands of the Department of Government Efficiency – against the administration since it took office in January.
“The Trump administration’s reckless attempt to dismantle our government without congressional approval threatens vital services Americans depend on every day — from caring for veterans and safeguarding public health, to protecting our environment and maintaining national security,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley in a statement.
AFGE is also undergoing its own series of layoffs, after recent reports of plans that could cut the union from 355 employees to approximately 150, potentially weakening its ability to fight back against the Trump administration.
Others filing the suit include the American Federation of State, Main Street Alliance, and local governments such as Baltimore, Chicago, San Francisco, and counties like Houston, Santa Clara, and Seattle. The Alliance for Retired Americans and the Center for Taxpayer Rights were among the nonprofits that sued.
“The Trump Administration’s plan to gut the federal government threatens our way of life and would significantly impact our ability to keep residents and communities safe and healthy,” said Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson in a statement. “We cannot abide by that. With this lawsuit, we uphold our duty to come together and decisively call out the reckless dismantling of our government.”