White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Friday criticized court rulings blocking President Donald Trump from dismissing probationary workers at multiple federal agencies.
United States District Judge William Alsup of the Northern District of California on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to re-hire thousands of workers who were dismissed while on probationary status.
Leavitt said Alsup was trying to “usurp” powers that were rightfully the president’s, saying it would be appealed.
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“This injunction is unconstitutional,” Leavitt told reporters in response to a question. “And it is for anybody who has a basic understanding of the law. You cannot have a low-level district court judge filing an injunction to usurp the executive authority of the president of the United States. That is completely absurd.”
Since President Donald Trump established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), federal employees are being laid off from multiple agencies, including a roughly 50% reduction in the workforce of the Department of Education. About 95% of the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) workforce has been terminated.
“And as the executive of the executive branch, the president has the ability to hire or fire,” Leavitt said. “And you have these lower-level judges trying to block this president’s agenda.”
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“It’s very clear, and, as I just cited, I was appalled by this statistic when I saw it this morning. In one month in February, there have been 15 injunctions of this administration and our agenda,” Leavitt added. “In three years under the Biden administration, there were 14 injunctions, so it’s very clear that there are judicial activists throughout our judicial branch that are trying to block this president’s executive authority.”
Actions of DOGE to reduce the size of the federal government and reduce fraud and waste in the government have been challenged in courts with mixed results. While Alsup blocked a memo sent to federal agencies instructing them to dismiss thousands of probationary workers before he ordered the rehiring of those who were fired, other courts have allowed DOGE to carry out its activities.
DOGE has identified at least $115 billion in savings, an average of $714.29 per taxpayer, according to its website.
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First published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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