Trump's Big Government Shake-Up Faces Legal Backlash

A group of labor unions, charities, and cities are fighting back against a major government restructuring plan. Chicago, Baltimore, and Harris County, Texas, are among those leading the charge. They say the plan, led by President Trump and Elon Musk's government efficiency team, is unconstitutional. The group filed a lawsuit claiming that the plan violates the Constitution. The lawsuit argues that Congress, not the President, has the power to make such big changes to the federal government. The lawsuit is the biggest legal challenge yet to Trump's plan. So, who is behind this lawsuit? It's a mix of labor unions, nonprofits, and local governments. They're not new to this fight. Some of them sued the Trump administration before. That time, it was about the mass firing of probationary employees. A judge ordered those workers to be reinstated, but the Supreme Court later stepped in. The new lawsuit goes even further. It argues that Trump's executive order and the actions taken to implement it are a power grab. The lawsuit points out that federal agencies are created by Congress, not the President. So, the argument goes, Congress should have the final say on big changes like this. Yet, Congress has been mostly silent. Many of its members are Trump's allies, and they've chosen not to speak out against the firings and program closures. Trump, meanwhile, has been vocal about his plans. He says he's restoring accountability and eliminating waste. The lawsuit asks the court to stop Trump's executive order and the memos that came with it. It also wants the court to void agencies' plans to reduce their workforce. The lawsuit argues that the timeline for these plans was too short to follow all the rules. The lawsuit also targets Musk's government efficiency team. The team is placing representatives in agencies across the government to direct workforce reductions. The lawsuit argues that this team has no legal power to do this. The White House has not yet responded to the lawsuit. The lawsuit is a big deal. It's a direct challenge to Trump's plan to overhaul the federal government. It's also a test of the Constitution's separation of powers. Only time will tell how the courts will rule.