Twenty states are taking several federal agencies to court over the Donald Trump administration’s move to fire several thousand federal probationary workers, saying that the move is illegal.
Maryland is leading the charge with 19 other states, with the state Attorney General Anthony Brown leading the coalition of attorneys general in the federal lawsuit that was filed late Thursday in Maryland, Associated Press reported.
The state estimates about 10 percent of households receive wages from the federal government.
“The draconian actions of the Trump-Vance Administration could lead to tens of thousands of jobs lost, hundreds of thousands of lives disrupted, and the cratering of tens of millions of dollars in income here in Maryland,” Maryland’s Democrat governor Wes Moore said Friday in support of the complaint.
The other states that have joined the lawsuit are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin. The District of Columbia also is a plaintiff.
Brown also moved on Friday for a temporary restraining order in federal court in Maryland to stop further firings of federal probationary employees and reinstate those who have already been dismissed.
A statement from attorney general Brown’s office said that the mass firings will cause irreparable burdens and expenses on the states, the lawsuit said, because states will have to support recently unemployed workers and review and adjudicate claims of unemployment assistance. According to the statement, more than 800 fired federal workers in Maryland already have applied for unemployment benefits.
The lawsuit also contended that the layoffs would hurt state finances due to lost tax revenue.
“President Trump’s unlawful mass firings of federal workers are a blatant attack on the civil service, throwing thousands of hardworking families into financial turmoil. Instead of following the law and notifying states, his administration blindsided Maryland, forcing us to deal with the devastating economic fallout and social consequences,” AP quoted Governor Brown as saying.
