CHICAGO (WLS) — Baltimore and San Francisco are among the cities joining Chicago in a lawsuit filed Monday night, aiming to stop the Trump administration from continuing to gut the federal government.
The lawsuit calls the firing of scores of federal employees unconstitutional and a case of presidential overreach.
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President Donald Trump, accompanied by Elon Musk on Feb. 11, issued an executive order aimed at “transforming the federal bureaucracy,” saying they were finding “billions and billions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse.”
Since then, tens of thousands of federal employees have been laid off, including many who cities like Chicago rely on. That is why the city has joined a coalition of unions, nonprofits and other municipalities in a lawsuit aimed at stopping those layoffs from continuing.
“Congress created these federal agencies. It funded them. But the president is trying to fire all these people and gut these agencies that Congress created. That’s a violation of our constitution,” said City of Chicago Deputy Corporation Counsel Steve Kane.
Kane says the layoffs, particularly those at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are already having an impact, as the city has lost an important ally in the tracking of infectious diseases. Kane pointed to their role in tracking and controlling recent measles and mpox outbreaks in Chicago.
“The city is going to have to redouble its efforts and do everything possible, but when we lose those kinds of resources, it puts us in a very challenging spot,” Kane said.
The lawsuit is seeking a preliminary injunction that would pause the firings until the case can be heard in full. But any action will not be immediate. The city’s attorney estimates that it could be anywhere from four to six weeks before the assigned judge issues their ruling.
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