The order affects workers at six federal agencies, plus workers who had already been granted relief through an earlier ruling.

An appeals court rejected the Trump's request for an immediate block on a lower court ruling that reinstated thousands of fired probationary employees.

The Trump administration in court filings has for the first time acknowledged that it fired nearly 25,000 recently hired workers, and said agencies were working to bring all of them back after a judge ruled that their terminations were likely illegal.