NEW YORK – The New York Attorney General’s office and a coalition of 19 other attorneys general have filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration for “illegally” firing thousands of probationary federal workers, including hundreds in New York.
The New York AGs Office said the Trump Administration is required to provide advance notice of mass layoffs to employees and states so that states can mobilize resources needed to process unemployment claims and care for unemployed workers.
However, as the coalition argues in the lawsuit, the Administration has directed federal agencies to conduct immediate mass terminations of probationary employees without following the law.
“The resulting unlawful layoffs have upended workers’ lives, disrupted essential services, and forced states to scramble to provide resources for recently fired workers,” the New York AG’s office stated.
“Whether it’s providing health care to our veterans, keeping our communities safe, or ensuring our children get a quality education, federal employees provide essential services every day,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James. “The Trump administration’s illegal mass firings of federal workers are a slap in the face to those who have spent their careers serving our country. Thousands of workers across New York and the nation are now struggling to pay rent, put food on the table, and care for their loved ones. Today, I am joining my fellow attorneys general in defending the rights of workers who serve our communities and stopping the chaos and confusion this unjust policy is causing.”
In New York, the layoffs have impacted workers throughout the state. In the last week of February, 372 federal workers had filed for unemployment in New York. More than 1,000 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees nationwide were fired in February, including workers at VA medical centers in New York. Workers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who were fired included seven staffers assigned to New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. In Buffalo and Syracuse, more than 100 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees have been fired, the AG’s office stated.
In the lawsuit, the coalition argues that the Trump Administration has violated the law by implementing mass layoffs, or reductions in force (RIF), without providing states and employees proper advance notice. Federal agencies are required by law to provide at least 60 days of prior written notice before they release any federal civil service employee under a RIF. These notices help states assemble job training programs, staff to process unemployment claims, and other resources to minimize the harm to affected workers and their communities.
With this lawsuit, Attorney General James and the coalition are seeking a court order to stop further mass layoffs without notice and the reinstatement of all illegally fired federal workers who have been laid off since January 20, 2025.
Joining the New York AG’s office in the suit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.