Judge extends deadline for federal workers’ buyout offer

U.S. District Judge George O’Toole Jr. on Thursday extended the deadline for federal workers to accept a buyout proposal offered by the White House, the Associated Press reported. The ruling gave federal workers until Monday to decide whether to leave their jobs. Last month, the White House’s Office of Personnel Management sent an email to all federal employees offering them full pay and benefits until the end of September if they resigned by Feb. 6.

Why did the judge extend the deadline? O’Toole ordered the administration to extend the offer until he could hold a hearing on the matter on Monday. He did not express an opinion on the proposal’s legality, according to the Associated Press. Several labor unions have sued, alleging that the proposal is not legal.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report in The Sift about Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency shutting down USAID.