In San Francisco, District Judge Susan Illston issued a temporary restraining order in response to a lawsuit by labor unions, who argued the mass firings were unlawful.

A US federal judge on Wednesday ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to pause mass layoffs of government employees during the ongoing shutdown, after the White House signaled plans to dismiss at least 10,000 workers.

The shutdown, now entering its third week, has left Congress in deadlock over spending, while Trump has sought to slash the federal workforce. In San Francisco, District Judge Susan Illston issued a temporary restraining order in response to a lawsuit by labor unions, who argued the mass firings were unlawful.

“The evidence suggests that the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management have taken advantage of the lapse in government spending… to assume the laws don’t apply to them anymore,” Illston was quoted as saying by The Washington Post.

CBI News notes that Trump’s budget chief, Russ Vought, had earlier told reporters the administration aimed to cut “north of 10,000” jobs, describing the move as an aggressive step to “shutter the bureaucracy.” Court filings revealed that more than 4,000 employees had already been dismissed, with the Treasury, health, education, and housing departments hardest hit.

Despite the ruling, Vought said the figure was only a “snapshot” and further layoffs were expected. Meanwhile, the Senate failed for the ninth time to approve a Republican-backed funding bill already passed in the House, leaving 1.4 million federal workers either furloughed without pay or working unpaid.