A judge has issued a preliminary injunction blocking layoffs of some federal workers during the shutdown. That includes about 2,000 Interior Department employees.
District Court Judge Susan Illston opened an Oct. 28 hearing by sharing anecdotes of some of the people being affected, such as an Air Force veteran who just got a kidney transplant and is terrified of losing health insurance.
"It's important to remember that there are human faces on all the actions that we are discussing this morning,” Illston continued, “and that they're having tremendous impacts on people.”
At least about 1 in 5 of the Interior workers targeted by layoffs could be in the Mountain West. Those 395 employees work for science centers or in regional land and water management.
That’s according to documents Illston ordered the federal government to file. They detail proposed cuts to offices, but only those with union members since unions filed the suit, saying members could suffer “irreparable harm.”
Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought has said these layoffs are just a “snapshot” and the government planned to lay off “north of 10,000.” The court documents only account for about 4,000 layoffs, half of which are at the Interior Department.
“The actual number is certainly larger, potentially much bigger,” said Aaron Weiss, deputy director of the nonprofit Center for Western Priorities, which has been pushing back against the waves of layoffs that started early this year.
He said these proposed cuts could devastate science and smaller national parks, along with continuing to lower morale.
“I certainly can't blame anyone who's like, ‘Nope, this is not for me. Time to get out,’” Weiss said.
The Trump administration maintains that its actions are legal. It has said the cuts are intended to punish Democrats and that the shutdown provides an opportunity for layoffs.
Illston has blocked further layoffs during the shutdown until the lawsuit is resolved.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
