Washington: The Trump administration announced a new rule on Thursday that may lead to the reclassification of approximately 50,000 senior career federal workers into a category that makes it easier to terminate their employment. This change affects about 2% of the federal workforce, shifting them into 'at-will' positions where they can be dismissed at any time for any reason, except for illegal ones.
According to Anadolu Agency, the move has raised alarms among critics who argue that the administration is attempting to replace experienced civil servants with political loyalists. These critics contend that such appointments prioritize allegiance to President Donald Trump over competence and adherence to the US Constitution. Federal worker unions and advocates have also voiced concerns that the rule change would remove employees' rights to appeal disciplinary actions or terminations before an independent body.
The Trump administration has articulated that the creation of the new classification, labeled Schedule Policy/Career, aims to address difficulties faced by agency supervisors in removing employees for poor performance or misconduct. The administration stated that the new category will facilitate the removal of employees from critical positions who are found to engage in misconduct, perform poorly, or obstruct the democratic process by subverting Presidential directives.
This policy is grounded in an executive order signed by Trump on his first day in office last year. It revives a concept similar to Schedule F, introduced shortly before the 2020 election, which was intended for federal employees involved in policy. This earlier order was reversed by President Joe Biden in 2024 with a rule that reinforced protections for career federal workers.
The new rule, which rolls back the 2024 protections, has led to immediate legal threats from a coalition of over 30 unions and advocacy groups, who had previously challenged Trump's 2025 executive order in court. The rule's announcement follows last year's events, when Elon Musk oversaw a large-scale removal of federal employees, resulting in 12% of the US civilian federal workforce being dismissed, as reported by a New York Times analysis. Some affected employees regained their positions through court challenges, although many were terminated for vague reasons despite positive performance reviews.