A federal court issued a temporary restraining order today effectively pausing the massive workforce reductions underway at the order of President Trump
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (May 9, 2025) – San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu and Santa Clara County Counsel Tony LoPresti issued the following statements today after a U.S. District Court Judge issued an emergency order preventing the Trump Administration’s unconstitutional reorganization of the federal government without congressional authority. The order directs federal agencies to immediately pause implementation of the President’s unlawful Executive Order 14210 (“Implementing the President’s Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative”), which has resulted in the dismantling of the federal government on a scale unprecedented in U.S. history.
The lawsuit, which was filed on April 28, is being brought by the City and County of San Francisco, the County of Santa Clara, and a large coalition of labor organizations, non-profit groups, and local governments in Illinois, Maryland, Texas, and Washington.
“Trump is illegally attempting to dismantle the federal government with a stroke of a pen on an executive order,” said San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu. “The President does not have authority to radically restructure federal agencies through mass layoffs. Trump is ignoring constitutional checks and balances and trying to act as both President and Congress. These dramatic and illegal changes make it extremely difficult for local governments to effectively deliver programs and services to our communities. We appreciate the Court recognizing the disastrous harms we are facing and immediately pausing these unlawful actions.”
“The Court’s emergency order puts a stop to the real and direct harm being caused by the Trump Administration’s reckless and chaotic efforts to dismantle the federal government as we know it,” said Santa Clara County Counsel Tony LoPresti. “As our overwhelming evidence shows, agencies are making these foundational changes because the President directed them to do so, and there is no constitutional basis for the President to do that. The results have been heartbreaking: veterans unable to get health care; first responders unable to get situational awareness or assistance with firefighting and natural disaster response; the CDC for the first time unable to help public health departments across the country dealing with measles outbreaks. In the wake of the Court’s emergency action, we will continue to pursue permanent relief to stop President Trump’s attempt to bypass congressional authority and reshape the government as he sees fit.”
Background
Since assuming office in January, President Trump has directed nearly every federal agency to make massive cuts to its workforce in furtherance of a reorganization of the entire federal government. In March, under the mandate of Executive Order 14210, the Department of Health and Human Services began eliminating more than 10,000 positions throughout the Centers for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institutes of Health, throwing the medical, public health, and scientific community into chaos.
Many other federal agencies are expected to significantly downsize their workforces including the Small Business Administration by 43%, the Department of Housing and Urban Development by 51%, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by 65%, the Department of Energy by 43%, and the Internal Revenue Service by 40%.
Federal staffing shortages and other dramatic changes to federal government operations make it more difficult for local governments to effectively deliver programs and services at the local level. It also makes intergovernmental work more difficult, slow, and cumbersome for state and local jurisdictions.
In addition to the City and County of San Francisco and the County of Santa Clara, the coalition of plaintiffs in the lawsuit includes the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and four AFGE locals, American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and SEIU Local 1000, Alliance for Retired Americans, American Geophysical Union, American Public Health Association, Center for Taxpayer Rights, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, Common Defense Civic Engagement, Main Street Alliance, Natural Resources Defense Council, Northeast Organic Farming Association, VoteVets Action Fund, Western Watersheds Project, City of Chicago, Illinois; City of Baltimore, Maryland; Harris County, Texas; and Martin Luther King, Jr. County, Washington.
San Francisco and Santa Clara County are self-represented. Other coalition members are represented by Democracy Forward, Altshuler Berzon LLP, Protect Democracy, the Public Rights Project, and State Democracy Defenders Fund. The case, AFGE v. Trump, was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California on April 28. The Temporary Restraining Order can be found here.
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