FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Matt Dorsey
(202) 550-6987
October 20, 2025
Washington, D.C. – Last week, Judge Susan Illston of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a temporary restraining order preventing the Trump Administration from implementing reductions in force (RIFs) or issuing new layoff notices during the ongoing government shutdown. Late Friday, the court expanded the order to include all National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM) represented units, protecting union members who had already received RIF notices and prohibiting further layoffs of NFFE members.
NFFE represents workers at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) who received shutdown RIF notices, as well as employees at the Department of Interior (DOI), where over 2,000 jobs were intended to be abolished according to court filings today. Those jobs are now protected thanks to the court’s action.
“Since this shutdown began, NFFE has been calling out the Trump Administration for illegal actions being taken by the President and agency leaders that seemed to be designed specifically to inflict pain on federal employees,” said NFFE National President Randy Erwin. “With this temporary restraining order issued by Judge Illston, it is clear that our claims of Trump Administration illegality had merit. More importantly, our members at DOI, HUD, and MBDA, who were in the process of being unlawfully terminated, are now protected.
“Not only were these illegal firings reckless and cruel, but they also came at a time when the government is shutdown, causing dedicated civil servants even more trauma on top of all they are experiencing with furloughs and frozen pay. This is another inexplicable example of President Trump targeting regular working Americans with retribution for perceived offenses against him. Thankfully, in this case, the courts are holding President Trump accountable for his illegal actions, as they should any president overstepping his Constitutional authorities.
“The work our members do is essential to the country and NFFE will always fight to ensure they can accomplish their missions on behalf of the American people.”