In Washington, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has introduced a new rule aimed at protecting thousands of federal employees from potential mass dismissals, should former President Donald Trump return to office in November with ambitions to reshape the federal workforce along ideological lines.
The regulation, issued on Thursday, is a response to Trump’s 2020 executive order, known as “Schedule F,” which aimed to reclassify a significant portion of federal employees as political appointees or other at-will workers. Such a move would have made it easier to terminate their employment. President Biden nullified Schedule F upon taking office, but concerns persist about its revival under a potential second Trump administration.
Under the new OPM rule, career civil servants will be shielded from being reclassified as political appointees or other at-will workers, thereby maintaining their job security protections. This counters the potential impact of Schedule F, which could have increased the number of political appointees in the federal workforce.
While the exact number of employees affected by Schedule F remains uncertain, documents obtained through freedom of information requests suggest that it could have impacted a wide range of federal workers beyond what was initially believed. The National Treasury Employee Union, for instance, obtained documents indicating that workers such as office managers and specialists in human resources and cybersecurity might have been subject to reclassification.
The new rule establishes procedural requirements for reclassifying federal employees and clarifies that civil service protections cannot be stripped away regardless of job type. It also distinguishes between policymaking classifications for political appointees and career civil servants.
According to Doreen Greenwald, President of the National Treasury Employees Union, the new rule makes it significantly harder for any president to remove nonpartisan professionals from federal agencies to make way for partisan loyalists.
While some analysts suggest that a second Trump administration could still attempt to reclassify civil servants, they note that the regulatory process would be more complex and likely face legal challenges.
The new rule has garnered support from good government groups, liberal think tanks, and activists, who view it as crucial for safeguarding federal worker protections. It counters efforts outlined in conservative initiatives like the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025,” which aims to replace existing government employees with more conservative alternatives.
Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, hailed the rule as “extraordinarily strong” and emphasized its importance in countering anti-democratic groups.
The final rule, spanning 237 pages, is set to take effect formally next month after being published in the federal registry. While some conservative organizations have opposed the rule, a majority of public comments received were supportive.
Rob Shriver, deputy director of the OPM, underscored the importance of the new rule in ensuring that federal employee protections remain intact, regardless of their personal political beliefs. He emphasized the dedication of federal workers to serving the American people, irrespective of political agendas.
In conclusion, the new regulation aims to fortify protections for federal employees and prevent politically motivated overhauls of the workforce, ensuring continuity and stability in government operations.
