In a bold move to reshape the federal bureaucracy, former President Donald Trump intensified efforts to streamline the workforce with a new executive order, announced on Wednesday. This directive allows for the easier dismissal of 8,000 federal employees by reclassifying them as at-will workers, effectively removing the requirement to provide a reason for their termination. This change follows a rule finalized earlier by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which created a new employment category termed ‘Schedule Policy/Career.’ The reclassification predominantly affects senior policymakers, aligning them with private sector employment standards.
Trump’s Federal Job Cuts Face Pushback
James Sherk of the Domestic Policy Council, recognized as the principal architect of this order, expressed that it addresses the long-standing challenge of dismissing federal employees, even in cases of significant misconduct. Sherk emphasized that such flexibility is crucial for roles that influence policy. With this executive order, the capability to hire and fire at-will has expanded from 4,000 to a staggering 12,000 federal employees, reflecting a significant shift in the federal employment landscape.
Critics Warn of Return to Spoils System
Since the start of his presidency, Trump has aggressively pursued cuts to the federal workforce, enlisting individuals like tech mogul Elon Musk and orchestrating widescale dismissals. However, the success of these initiatives has been mixed, with Musk later admitting to only partial success, and courts often mandating the reinstatement of terminated employees. Despite these setbacks, the administration has faced fierce criticism over the potential politicization of federal employment. A White House fact sheet accompanying the executive order assured that firings would occur “without respect to political affiliation.”
Concerns Over Loyalty and Civil Service
‘This administration is hiding the ball in claiming that this new schedule will address the challenge of poor performers in our government,’ Stier continued. ‘Loyalty to the president rather than effective service to the public will be the new coin of the realm.’ Miles Taylor, a Trump opponent who served chief of staff for DHS during the President’s first term, wrote on X on Thursday that the order violated civil service law and warned that ‘Trump has tripled the size of his personal political army inside the government.’
Fewer Workers Impacted Than Predicted
These criticisms come even as the number of workers re-classified is much smaller than initially expected. The OPM had predicted in February that as many as 50,000 would be affected by the Trump administration’s efforts.
