OPM has issued an interim final rule to implement this mandate. Previous to this rule, the number of federal workers allowed to be classified under Schedule F was already staggering. This rule, released on Friday, would allow the administration to change the classification of up to 50,000 federal employees to political appointees. This amendment would give a lot more discretion to hire and fire based on loyalty to the president.
The Trump administration created the new Schedule F status to recategorize certain federal jobs. This amendment transformed those positions from career civil service roles to political appointees. This welcome, albeit modest, change gives the executive branch greater leverage for dealing with these employees. Thus, Title 5 currently allows political appointees to be fired for failing to advance the president’s desired policy goals.
Specifically, the new, expanded rule increases the index of federal employees who directly answer to the executive branch. Unfortunately, this shift is used to undermine traditional civil service protections. According to estimates, this new classification would affect about 4,000 workers. These people now serve in politically appointed positions.
Donald Trump has enthusiastically endorsed her expansion. He thinks it will be an effective tool to eliminate federal workers that don’t fit with his administration’s agenda.
“If these government workers refuse to advance the policy interests of the President, or are engaging in corrupt behavior, they should no longer have a job.” – Donald Trump
This policy aligns closely with Project 2025, a conservative manifesto advocating for a federal government that is more directly accountable to the executive branch. The project’s overarching aim is to eliminate what supporters describe as a “deep state” within federal agencies, which they claim obstructs Trump’s policy agenda.
Opponents of the new rule contend that it undermines the permanence of the federal work force. Yet they caution that it might increase the politicization of government agencies. They say that this act sets a dangerous precedent. No matter what a given administration’s political priorities are, federal personnel structures should be shaped around merit and competence, not political loyalty.