A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's deadline for federal employees to accept a controversial deferred-retirement offer. The decision comes just hours before workers were supposed to respond to the program, which would allow them to resign while still receiving full pay and benefits until September 30.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is now informing employees that the deadline has been paused while legal proceedings unfold. The program, aimed at over 2 million federal workers, has already drawn criticism from unions representing hundreds of thousands of employees who argue it violates federal law and could lead to a loss of expertise in key government functions.

About 40,000 workers have accepted the offer, but that number may grow. Critics, including state attorneys general, have labeled the offer as misleading, raising concerns about the lack of clarity and guarantees surrounding it.

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