Fox News reported that as part of his plan to shrink the size of government, President Donald Trump gave federal workers until February 6 to accept a buyout plan.

However, a federal judge has partially blocked that move by extending the deadline until at least Monday. 

Employees had until February 6 to accept buyout offer

Under the plan, government employees had the option to resign immediately but continue to receive their full salaries and benefits until September 30.

Trump characterized the offer as being a "dignified, fair departure from the federal government utilizing a deferred resignation program."

Yet the proposal met with opposition from labor unions, including the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which sought to halt it in court via a temporary restraining order.

NBC News reported that Boston federal Judge George O’Toole Jr. granted that request on Thursday although he made "no assessment at this stage of the merits of the claims."

Workers can continue to accept buyout while case is litigated

NBC News noted that in making his ruling, O'Toole rejected arguments put forward by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

"Extending that deadline on the expiration date would not just engender confusion and upset expectations, but perhaps more importantly, would disrupt a critical priority of the Executive Branch to reform the federal workforce," NBC News quoted the DOJ as saying in a court filing.

"The serious harm to the federal government in effectuating these important reformations to the federal workforce far exceeds any claimed harm to the Plaintiffs and strongly cautions against the imposition of a temporary restraining order or an administrative stay," it added.

Nevertheless, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the network that federal employees can still take advantage of the buyout offer while the case is being litigated.

"We are grateful to the judge for extending the deadline so more federal workers who refuse to show up to the office can take the Administration up on this very generous, once-in-a-lifetime offer," she stated.

Left-wing group welcomes decision

Democracy Forward is helping the unions in their case, and its CEO released a statement of her own which welcomed O'Toole's decision.

"Civil service members deserve more than one-sided ultimatums and misleading schemes. We are grateful for the court’s ruling today, pausing Trump’s unlawful ultimatums and protecting our federal employees," Skye Perryman declared.

"The vast majority — more than 90% — of Americans believe that government employees should be hired and promoted based on merit, not political loyalty," she added.