Court Halts Interior Department Layoff Plans Affecting 2,000 Employees

The U.S. Department of the Interior planned to lay off over 2,000 employees across various bureaus, including the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Geological Survey, as part of a reduction-in-force intended to streamline functions and promote efficiency under the current administration. These layoffs were paused following a temporary restraining order issued by U.S. District Judge Susan Illston, who criticized the attempt to use layoffs during a government shutdown as political punishment and noted the severe impact on federal employees and public services. The planned cuts would have affected roughly one-quarter of National Park Service regional staff and included significant reductions in the Office of the Secretary, Fish and Wildlife Service, and other agencies. The court order was expanded to cover additional unionized employees, halting all reduction-in-force related actions while legal challenges continue. The Interior Department maintains that the layoffs are unrelated to the government shutdown but coincide with it, raising concerns about the timing and broader federal workforce reductions. This legal intervention highlights ongoing tensions between administration workforce policies and union protections amid the shutdown.