Federal employees are scrambling now that the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of President Donald Trump's desire to slash the government workforce.
Although it's currently on summer break, the Court lifted an order Tuesday blocking Trump from firing federal workers in nearly two dozen agencies, including the State Department and the Social Security Administration.
The Washington Post reported, "Litigation will continue as the layoffs proceed at 19 agencies, according to the ruling, which drew dissents from two liberal justices. It marks the latest upheaval in a chaotic half year of Trump-driven downsizings of federal departments, which spurred lawsuits and court-ordered halts — followed by still other court counterorders resuming the federal dismissals."
The Post added that the ruling wasn't definitive because it failed to "answer the underlying question of whether the mass firings are legal, which a lower court will still need to address."
The ruling has left government staffers navigating uncertainty and fear for their livelihoods, with one at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau telling The Post, "We are toast."
Everett Kelley, president of the nation’s largest federal union, called it a "life-altering decision for tens of thousands of American families."
“Federal employees across the country will sit at their dinner tables tonight with their layoff notice next to a pile of bills, knowing the Supreme Court’s action just changed their lives forever, and they’re wondering what they’re going to do next to make ends meet," Everett said.
The White House declared the ruling “another definitive victory for the President and his administration."