This story was originally published by the WND News Center.

A federal judge in Massachusetts, at the request of government employee unions who stand to lose money, has interfered with President Donald Trump's effort to fulfill his mandate to cut the size of government.

The judge, George A. O'Toole has blocked a buyout program that millions of federal workers were offered – to resign by end of day Thursday but still be paid through the end of September.

The gorilla in the room is that there will be layoffs anyway, depending on how many workers accept a buyout.

But O'Toole has put that on ice now, at least until a hearing he has scheduled on Monday.

Just the News said Trump's Office of Personnel Management had sent the offer to millions of federal government workers last week, offering pay and benefits through September for quitting now.

Not included in the offer were military personnel, national security and immigration workers, and postal workers.

Already, some 40,000 workers had signed up for the program, and administration officials suggested the final number could be as high as 100,000.

The Gateway Pundit said the judge insisted on seeing "more court proceedings on the program's legality."

In fact, previous presidents have taken similar actions.

The report explained, "In the meantime, O'Toole, Jr., who Bill Clinton nominated, has at least temporarily saved hundreds of thousands of federal employees from potential termination as the Trump Administration plans massive layoffs for those who refuse to accept the buyout offer."

The fight was brought to the judge by the American Federation of Government Employees and multiple other unions, who stand to lose significant revenue if 40,000 of their members no longer are paying union dues.

Department of Government Efficiency chief Elon Musk "has pointed out this is a fair and generous deal, especially compared to what happens when private sector workers get canned," the report said.