accelerating the political influence within civil service via a set of executive orders and a memo
A new executive order, titled "Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service," has been introduced by President Trump. The order tasks officials with developing a hiring action plan to reduce hiring time, improve communication with job applicants, and incorporate technology into the hiring process.
The executive order also includes language that calls for ensuring federal jobseekers "faithfully serve the executive branch," in addition to the existing oath to defend the Constitution. This has sparked concerns about the order being viewed as a loyalty test to both the administration and its values.
The revised policy, known as Schedule Policy/Career, aims to reclassify tens of thousands of federal workers in "policy-related" positions out of the competitive service. This move strips much of the language regarding exempting Schedule Policy/Career positions from the competitive hiring process.
Acting OPM Director Charles Ezell issued a Monday night memo asking agencies to submit a complete list of employees still within their one-year probationary periods by Friday. The National Treasury Employees Union has filed a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration from implementing Schedule Policy/Career, arguing that it is contrary to congressional intent as it attempts to divest federal employees of due process rights.
The executive order proposes reform of the federal hiring process, which is considered broken. However, the encouragement of subjective criteria in the hiring process could potentially open the system up to discrimination.
The final decision-making authority for conversion of jobs into the new job classification is given to the president, not the Office of Personnel Management director. This shift in power raises questions about the independence of the hiring process.
President Trump has revived a policy called Schedule Policy/Career, a revised version of Schedule F. The memo encourages agencies to use paid administrative leave to send employees home while they consider restructuring offices and components. Probationary employees lack appeal rights before the Merit System Protection Board, adding to the concerns about the fairness of the new hiring process.
The union argues that Schedule Policy/Career is a threat to the merit-based system that has long been a cornerstone of the federal workforce. The outcome of the lawsuit and the implementation of the new executive order will likely shape the future of federal hiring practices.
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