Boston / Washington | Tens of thousands of US civil servants were cleared to take a buyout from Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT), after a federal judge ruled the unprecedented downsizing effort could proceed.

About 75,000 workers have signed up for the buyout, said a spokesperson for the US Office of Personnel Management, equal to 3 per cent of the civilian workforce. Mr Trump’s administration has promised to pay their salaries through to October without requiring them to work, though unions have warned the offer is not trustworthy.

Reuters