Worker Policy Watch

Your source for accurate and reliable information on how federal policies are shaping workers’ rights—and what’s at stake for working people nationwide under the Trump administration.

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Supreme Court Green-Lights Trump Plan to Dismantle U.S. Department of Education

The U.S. Supreme Court is allowing the Trump administration to continue with plans to lay off almost 1,400 workers from the U.S. Department of Education (ED), further enabling the administration’s stated goal of dismantling the department.
 
Impact: These firings have left the ED unable to carry out its core responsibilities required by Congress, including duties to support special education, enforce civil rights laws, and distribute financial aid. Although ED is a congressionally authorized government agency and cannot be eliminated without congressional action, this latest ruling will allow Trump to effectively dismantle the ED without congressional action.

Trump Administration Fires 17 Immigration Judges

The Trump administration fired 17 immigration judges across 10 states without cause. In one case, the judge was fired after speaking with Sen. Dick Durbin (IL) during his visit to a Chicago immigration court. A shortage of immigration judges contributes to the long time it takes to resolve immigration cases.
 
Impact: The Trump administration claims to want to speed up those waiting periods by hiring more immigration judges, but 103 judges have either been fired or took voluntary buyouts since Trump took office, reducing the total number of immigration judges to fewer than 600. Congress allocated more than $3 billion in its reconciliation bill to bolster the hiring of immigration judges and support staff. But firing judges without cause over a perceived political disagreement—and stacking immigration courts with new ones—is a concerning dynamic amidst the administration’s brutal crackdown on immigrant communities.

U.S. Supreme Court Allows Trump’s Mass Firings of Federal Public Servants to Proceed

The Supreme Court has rejected a lower court’s order to block the Trump administration from mass firings and reorganizing of federal agencies without approval from Congress.
 
Impact: The Supreme Court’s decision could pave the way for more firings of workers, as some agencies announce they will resume plans for mass layoffs in light of the ruling. The planned mass firings could impact tens of thousands of workers from the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Health and Human Services, State, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, and more than a dozen other agencies.

VA Reverses Course on Planned Large-Scale Mass Layoffs

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is backing down from plans for mass layoffs of more than 80,000 workers, instead planning a 30,000 reduction of force through attrition only.
 
Impact: More than 17,000 workers have left the VA since January 2025. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) has been pushing back on the planned mass firings.

Federal Judge Halts Likely Unlawful Mass Layoffs at HHS

U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose granted a preliminary injunction and ruled that mass layoffs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) are likely unlawful.
 
Impact: This order blocks the Trump administration from finalizing layoffs announced in March or issuing further firings. The ruling applies to workers in four different parts of HHS: the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the Center for Tobacco Products within the Food and Drug Administration; the Office of Head Start within the Administration for Children and Families; and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.

Federal Judge Blocks Trump Admin Rollback of Collective Bargaining Rights for Federal Workers

U.S. District Judge James Donato in San Francisco is temporarily blocking Trump’s executive order that barred workers in 21 federal agencies from exercising their collective bargaining rights.
 
Impact: In March, the Trump administration issued an executive order barring about one million federal workers from being represented by unions—by claiming collective bargaining agreements “violated national security.” Judge Donato cited plausible retaliation concerns from unions who are challenging the Trump administration’s federal workforce policies in court. Civilian federal workers have had collective bargaining rights for more than 60 years.

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