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WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has filed an emergency petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to lift a nationwide injunction that blocks its sweeping plan to shrink the federal workforce through large-scale Reductions in Force (RIFs) across 21 agencies. Solicitor General D. John Sauer argues that the lower-court order “inflicts ongoing and severe harm” by forcing agencies to keep thousands of employees the executive branch believes are no longer needed, costing taxpayers millions of dollars every month. Why the administration turned to the high court The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals last week refused to pause the injunction, calling the RIF initiative “unprecedented” and beyond the president’s constitutional authority to supervise the civil service. By turning to the Supreme Court, the White House hopes to restart personnel cuts it says are essential to “modernize” government and redirect resources toward public-facing services. What the RIF plan would do • Eliminate or reclassify an estimated 38,000 positions in its first year • Consolidate back-office functions such as HR, IT, and procurement into shared-service hubs • Offer voluntary separation incentives before proceeding with compulsory layoffs • Shift savings to frontline programs at Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, and the IRS Potential impact on federal employees Unions representing 1.2 million federal workers warn that abrupt cuts will gut institutional knowledge, slow benefit processing, and increase contractor dependence. Agencies have already issued “potential separation” notices but cannot act on them while the injunction stands. Morale surveys show a 17 percent jump in employees actively seeking private-sector jobs since the ruling. Legal flashpoints before the Supreme Court 1. Does Article II give the president inherent authority to order government-wide RIFs without explicit congressional approval? 2. Did the district court overstep by applying an injunction that reaches beyond the plaintiffs’ agencies? 3. Should courts defer to the administration’s claim that personnel decisions are “committed to agency discretion” and thus non-justiciable? Political stakes in an election year For the president, a favorable decision would validate a signature promise to run Washington “like a business” and could energize fiscal conservatives. Democrats say the lawsuit highlights their argument that the administration is anti-worker and risks degrading critical services. With early voting only months away, the Court’s timeline could shape campaign messaging on both sides. What happens next • The administration has asked for a ruling before the Court’s summer recess. • If the justices grant a stay, agencies could resume RIFs within weeks, subject to negotiated notice periods. • If the stay is denied, the case proceeds on the merits, likely dragging the dispute into 2026. Bottom line The Supreme Court’s response will determine whether the Trump administration can rapidly downsize the civil service or must seek a slower, legislative route. Either way, the battle over federal workforce cuts is set to be a defining clash over executive power—and thousands of government jobs hang in the balance.