The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Trump administration to move forward with plans to downsize the federal workforce through layoffs, overturning lower courts' decisions to halt the reductions at 21 agencies.

The administration had asked the court to step in after a judge in California blocked plans for reductions in force and to reorganize a swath of departments and agencies.

The US Supreme Court let President Donald Trump move ahead with plans to dramatically reduce the size of the federal government, lifting a court order that had blocked 19 federal departments and agencies from slashing their workforces.