Trump administration asks SCOTUS to permit federal layoffs

The Trump administration on Monday asked the Supreme Court to stay a lower court order preventing Washington from implementing large-scale job cuts and the reorganization of federal agencies.

The Department of Justice specifically argued that the president's ability to control staffing in the executive branch is part of his constitutional authority.

"The Constitution does not erect a presumption against presidential control of agency staffing, and the president does not need special permission from Congress to exercise core Article II powers," the DOJ argued, according to Reuters.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston last month ruled that the president needed an act of Congress for a major reduction in force, The Hill reported. She imposed an indefinite stay on the layoffs and thousands of employees across multiple agencies remain in uncertain status while the case proceeds.