WASHINGTON— The Department of Justice has moved to block the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau employees’ union from appealing a ruling that cleared the Administration to dismiss hundreds of agency staff.
In a filing this week, the DOJ urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to deny the National Treasury Employees Union’s request for a full en banc rehearing. The union is challenging an August decision by a three-judge D.C. Circuit panel that upheld acting CFPB Acting Director Russ Vought’s authority to lay off up to 1,400 employees through a mass reduction-in-force, Credit And Collection News said.
Union officials argue the layoffs amount to an unlawful attempt to shut down the agency—something only Congress can do. The Justice Department had sought extra time to respond due to the ongoing government shutdown, but the court rejected that request and ordered the administration to file by the original deadline.
The case carries broad implications for similar mass federal layoffs as the budget impasse stretches into its fourth week, Credit And Collection News noted.