US Judge halts Donald Trump's attempt to buyout government employees

The US President had attempted to purge the government of federal employees - many in departments linked to diversity and inclusion (DEI), with a Thursday midnight deadline put in place.

The voluntary redundancy package formed part of an ongoing effort by the Trump administration to drastically reduce the size of the federal government.

However, Federal Judge George O'Toole Jr said on Thursday that the plan would be paused until a hearing on Monday.

Judge O'Toole added that he wished to hear the merits of a lawsuit filed by federal employee unions, according to CBS.

Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) were heavily involved in the buyout plans.

It's led many to liken the redundancy packages to those offered to Twitter employees following Musk's buyout of the social media platform - with many claiming they were never paid the full package of benefits promised.

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In a statement on Thursday, the White House appeared to suggest the temporary pause would result in an increase in the number of resignations due to the extended deadline.

"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 in a statement.

Following the statement, an official from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) said that the agency would continue processing resignations until Monday's hearing.

The White House now claims that more than 40,000 employees have accepted the resignation offer (up until September 30) in exchange for payouts.

Despite this, a number of federal employees have expressed confusion and concern about some of the terms laid out as part of the deal.