A broad coalition led by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), along with other labor unions, nonprofit organizations, and local governments (including San Francisco, Chicago, Baltimore, Harris County, and King County), sued in the Northern District of California on April 28, 2025, arguing that EO 14210—which mandates mass layoffs, hiring freezes, and agency restructuring under the newly created “Department of Government Efficiency”—violates the Constitution’s separation of powers and federal labor laws Supreme Court. A temporary injunction was granted by the district court and upheld by the 9th Circuit. But on July 8, 2025, the injunction was essentially lifted by the Supreme Court thus allowing the EO to proceed pending the ongoing litigation.

Related litigation includes Maryland et al. v. USDA and New York v. Kennedy, filed in D.C. and Rhode Island, respectively, which specifically challenge cuts at HHS and other agencies and resulted in a preliminary injunction at the district level.

In addition, unions are separately contesting OPM’s RIF implementation and deceased bargaining exemptions—for instance, the National Treasury Employees Union filed in D.C. on February 12, 2025—claiming the actions exceed statutory authority.