OLYMPIA, Wash. (KATU) — The Washington State Attorney General's Office has joined a lawsuit against the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and other federal agencies, challenging what it describes as illegal efforts by the Trump administration to fire federal employees en masse.

President Trump has been accused of arbitrarily dismissing thousands of federal workers, including those with excellent performance records and long tenures, under false claims of performance issues. These actions have reportedly affected workers newly promoted to supervisory or management positions.

Washington state, which has over 12 million acres of federal land managed by agencies impacted by these labor cuts, is experiencing disruptions in various services.

These include energy supply reliability, wildfire and forest management, services to veterans, and support for small businesses. According to the state Employment Security Department, Washington has about 76,000 federal employees, and at least 1,000 are believed to have lost their jobs due to these actions.

"Many of the president’s power grabs have this problem in common – they’re illegal," said Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown. "These firings don’t save the public a dime, but they do make government less responsive, particularly in the communities across the nation where these employees live and serve."

The lawsuit, initially filed in Northern California by a coalition of labor groups and other organizations, has already led to a temporary restraining order.

A judge's order on Feb. 27 stated that the administration's actions were likely illegal, directing the federal Office of Personnel Management to rescind its instruction to fire virtually all probationary employees.

The original plaintiffs include the American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Main Street Alliance, the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, Common Defense Civic Engagement, the Western Watersheds Project, AFGE Local 1216, AFGE Local 2110, VoteVets, and United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals.