Trump Signs Executive Order to Advance Federal Employee Classification Reform
Trump signed an executive order to transfer certain career federal employees into a new category of "Policy/Career."
This arrangement makes it easier for the government to dismiss civil servants in policy-related positions, continuing the Schedule F concept from his first term.
The first batch is expected to involve about 8,000 federal employees, focusing on policy-making and advocacy roles.
Source: Public Information
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Trump introduced the Schedule F executive order in 2020 during his first term, aiming to classify tens of thousands of policy-influencing positions as easily dismissible. However, Biden immediately rescinded it upon taking office. The re-signing of a similar EO, renamed Schedule Policy/Career, is set for January 20, 2025, with the final rules expected from OPM by February 2026.
In terms of capital pathways, this move by the Trump administration reallocates administrative resources, prioritizing the replacement of career bureaucrats seen as obstructing policy, allowing vacancies to be filled by more effective allies or external talent, while reducing the influence of federal employee unions and the traditional Democratic support base.
Similar to the Reagan era's streamlining of federal bureaucracy and performance reforms, the U.S. federal government is transitioning from a lifetime career system to limited terms and accountability, aligning more closely with private sector management models.
Essentially, this represents a regulatory change: the internal hiring rules of the government shift from strict protection to performance-oriented, with mechanisms allowing presidential executive power to directly influence personnel classification, bypassing congressional legislation, enabling rapid adjustments to policy execution personnel, and ensuring greater consistency between the executive branch and electoral outcomes.
ABAB News · Cognitive Law
The more power is centralized, the easier accountability becomes, and the more thorough the execution.
Excessive protection leads to rigidity; breaking the iron rice bowl is necessary to activate new vitality.
Who controls personnel, who truly holds the steering wheel of policy.