Chicago joins lawsuit against Trump administration over firing of federal workers
Chicago sues Trump admin over cuts to federal workforce
The City of Chicago joined a lawsuit by local governments, unions, and nonprofits against the Trump administration for what they allege was the illegal firing of federal workers.
CHICAGO - The City of Chicago joined a lawsuit by local governments, unions, and nonprofits against the Trump administration for what they allege was the illegal firing of federal workers.
The plaintiffs argued that the administration does not have the authority to "dismantle, downsize, or otherwise transform federal agencies without Congressional approval," according to the city.
They are asking the court to stop the administration's use of an executive order which requires federal agencies to "conduct mass firings and reorganize their structure," the city said. The plaintiffs argued that the president does not have the unilateral authority to make such changes in the federal workforce.
How cuts impact Chicago
What we know:
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office said the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal workforce have impacted the city’s operations.
His office pointed to four specific areas where cuts have affected the city: weather and emergency preparedness, disaster response, environmental protection, and public health.
The administration’s cuts to the National Weather Service would "strip Chicago of real-time weather data that the City relies on to safely plan large-scale outdoor events like Lollapalooza and NASCAR Chicago." Cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would limit the disaster relief the city can use when major disasters happen, like severe weather, the city said.
Johnson's office added that reductions to staff at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would impact the city’s ability to handle contaminated sites like brownfields, which are sites that used to house industrial or commercial properties suspected of containing hazardous substances, according to the University of Illinois at Chicago.
In addition, cuts to federal public health agencies "have already threatened the Chicago Department of Public Health’s [CDPH] ability to track and respond to health crises by limiting or eliminating national data collection projects" and limited the city’s access to infectious disease experts to make time-sensitive decisions.
Besides Chicago, the other plaintiffs include the City and County of San Francisco, the County of Santa Clara, California, the City of Baltimore, Harris County in Texas, King County in Washington state, the American Federation of Government Employees, the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, Service Employees International Union, Alliance for Retired Americans, American Geophysical Unions, American Public Health Association, Center for Taxpayer Rights, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, Common Defense, Main Street Alliance, National Resources Defense Council, Northeast Organic Farming Association Inc., VoteVets, and Western Watersheds Project.
‘We cannot abide by that’
What they're saying:
Johnson explained in a statement why the city joined the lawsuit against the Trump administration.
"The Trump Administration's plan to gut the federal government threatens our way of life and would significantly impact our ability to keep residents and communities safe and healthy," he said. "We cannot abide by that. With this lawsuit, we uphold our duty to come together and decisively call out the reckless dismantling of our government."