Trump Eases Path to Firing Federal Workers in Landmark Rule (1)

The Trump administration announced sweeping changes to the way federal workers are classified, making it easier for the president to fire nonpolitical public employees.

The changes, released in a final rule Thursday, will reclassify some policy-related positions into a new category called “policy/career,” loosening job protections and allowing political appointees to fire them—and handpick replacements—without violating civil service laws.

The move puts thousands of jobs in the federal government into question, calling on agencies to identify which confidential, “policy-influencing” positions should be reclassified.

The Office of Personnel Management estimated the figure at 50,000 employees, or about 2% of the federal workforce, but the president ultimately will determine which positions are shifted into “policy/career.” The rule says it isn’t targeting federal attorneys.

OPM will view policy positions as including those that draft or edit policy documents or offer policy advice, even if they don’t determine the policy.

The reclassified positions won’t become direct presidential appointments, but will be hired in the same way as other career civil service positions, according to the rule.

The policy, first known as Schedule F, was originally proposed by President Donald Trump in 2020, but didn’t come to fruition before he left office. It was revived on the first day of Trump’s second term.

“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,” Trump posted on Truth Social last April. “This is common sense, and will allow the federal government to finally be ‘run like a business.’”

The final rule notes “the President has concluded that policy resistance is a significant problem and that Schedule Policy/Career is needed to address it.”

The White House has directed individual agencies to recommend who falls into the new category. A proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency in 2020 suggested changing the designation of 579 EPA workers.

The new rule is expected to fuel lawsuits from early in 2025 against the policy. Federal employee unions sued Trump after he signed an executive order kicking off the process to remove job protections, but proceedings have largely been held up awaiting the issuance of the final regulation.

As the administration looks for targeted terminations under the new personnel classification, it has also sought to reduce the size of the federal government overall. Trump eliminated more than 300,000 workers during his first year in office, although about half appear to have voluntarily accepted a deal to quit in exchange for several months of paid leave.