By Hank Russell
New York Attorney General Letitia James joined a coalition of 20 other attorneys general in standing with the nation’s federal employees in a challenge to what the AGs describe as the Trump administration’s harmful and misleading federal “buyout” plan. On February 9, the coalition filed an amicus brief in support of a motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) filed by unions representing more than 800,000 federal employees. These employees who they claim would be affected include nurses caring for veterans, school bus drivers, childcare providers, civil engineers, sanitation workers, scientists, and more.
The attorneys general assert that the directive encouraging federal employees to resign would have a devastating impact on states’ ability to respond to natural disasters, support veterans, and deliver crucial services to millions of Americans.
“The administration’s plan to eliminate thousands of federal employees’ jobs is dangerous and would be disastrous for our country,” James said. “Millions of Americans count on federal employees for crucial services like health care, childcare, transportation, emergency response, and so much more. Without the work of thousands of federal employees, communities across the country will suffer. My office is standing up for all working people against this reckless and unlawful directive.”
Joining James in submitting today’s brief are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
In their brief, James and the coalition emphasize that the indiscriminate loss of federal employees could have a devastating effect on cooperative aspects of federal, state, and local government—from those who care for veterans to those who arrive on the scene to provide aid when disaster strikes. In addition, the coalition states that the directive does not offer federal employees basic information about their pensions, health benefits, reinstatement rights, retirement, or other benefits. As a result, they urged the court to grant a temporary restraining order to prevent this harm to federal workers and to protect the public interest.
“The Fork Directive undermines these principles, in keeping with the Administration’s apparent desire to root out federal employees who are insufficiently ‘loyal,'” the brief stated.
The unions filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, emphasizing that the directive caused widespread confusion and dismay among federal employees, who were faced with an arbitrary deadline to accept a misleading buyout offer that is illegal and contrary to federal ethics regulations. On February 6, 2025, U.S. District Court Judge George A. O’Toole, Jr. stayed the purported deadline of the directive until February 10, 2025, with a hearing to be held later that day.
On February 3, after the so-called “Fork in the Road” directive was issued, Attorney General James led a coalition of 11 other attorneys general in warning federal employees of the misleading program and urging them to consult their unions before making a decision. As previously reported in Long Island Life & Politics, federal employees unions urged its members not to take the buyouts. One of the union heads called the buyout offer “a scam.”