Maryland and 17 states sue USDA over mass federal layoffs under Trump administration

Maryland, joined by seventeen other states and the District of Columbia, has sued the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and several other federal agencies, challenging the mass termination of federal probationary employees under President Donald Trump’s administration. The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the District of Maryland, alleges that these mass firings violate federal laws governing reductions in force and lacked the required sixty-day notice to employees and states.

The complaint, led by Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, argues that the terminations, which began on Trump's first day in office, were politically motivated and executed without adherence to statutory protections. According to the suit, OPM directed agencies to dismiss thousands of probationary employees—individuals in their first year of federal service—without individualized assessments or the legally required warning period.

Plaintiff states claim that the abrupt firings have severely impacted state governments, which were not given time to prepare for a surge in unemployment claims and other social service needs. Maryland’s Department of Labor, for example, reported a sharp increase in federal unemployment claims, forcing the state to reallocate resources and strain existing workforce assistance programs.

The lawsuit seeks to halt further terminations, reinstate unlawfully fired employees, and enforce compliance with federal RIF procedures.