April 19, 2025 | Washington, D.C. — The Trump administration is pushing forward with sweeping reforms to federal employment rules that could remove civil service protections from approximately 50,000 federal workers. The move is drawing strong criticism from legal experts, civil service unions, and government accountability advocates.
The proposed change would create a new job classification—”Schedule“ Policy”/Career”—under which certain career federal employees who work on policy could be reclassified as “at-will” employees, effectively stripping them of job security and due process protections.
A Revival of “Schedule F”
This initiative closely mirrors “Schedule F,” a controversial executive order issued during Trump’s first term and quickly reversed by President Biden in 2021. The original order sought to give the executive branch broad authority to dismiss civil servants in policymaking roles.
Although Biden attempted to protect career employees with a rule finalized in 2024, experts warned that those measures were not strong enough to prevent the Trump administration from reviving and reshaping Schedule F.
The new classification is not yet in effect but is expected to be enabled through a proposed rule from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). According to the rule, about 45,000 of the reclassified positions would be filled by current employees, while 5,000 would be vacant and subject to new hires once a hiring freeze ends.
Potential Consequences: Loyalty Over Merit?
Critics warn the move would create a “spoils system”—where” political loyalty trumps competence — undermining the independence and professionalism of the federal workforce.
“This is really going to be a spoils system,” said Kevin Owen, partner at Gilbert Employment Law. “We’re already seeing that with the reductions in force and the way hiring is happening behind the scenes.”
Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), stated:
“This is another deliberate move to corrupt the federal government and replace qualified public servants with political cronies.”
The AFGE and the National Treasury Employees Union are both suing the administration, claiming the new classification violates long-standing federal employment laws and constitutional protections.
The Administration’s Justification
The White House defended the action by citing the 2024 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, which showed that many federal employees believe poor performers are not held accountable. Officials argue that reclassification will allow for greater performance management and efficiency.
“Unaccountable bureaucracy undermines democracy,” the White House said in a statement. “Elected officials must be able to hold policy-making employees accountable.”
Trump echoed that sentiment in a social media post, claiming the government should be “run like a business” and that those who don’t support the president’s agenda “should no longer have a job.”
Experts Warn of Long-Term Harm
Former government officials and think tanks are urging caution. Max Stier, president of the Partnership for Public Service, called the plan “misguided” and warned it would promote “incompetence, corruption, and worse government.”
“Our government needs serious improvements,” Stier said, “but the way to do it is by making merit more important, not less.”
The Partnership has proposed alternative reforms focused on updating outdated performance management systems rather than upending the merit-based foundations of the civil service.
What Happens Next?
The proposed OPM rule is expected to be published in the Federal Register this week. While the rule itself will not immediately convert employees, it will pave the way for a forthcoming executive order that will trigger the reclassification process.
Observers note that this could represent one of the most dramatic overhauls of the federal workforce in modern history — and could have deep implications for how government functions under future administrations.
