Unions Rip Trump Order Making Federal Workers ‘At-Will’ Employees
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday making it easier to remove thousands of senior federal employees, prompting backlash from federal worker unions that accused the administration of attempting to politicize the civil service.
TL;DR
- President Trump signed an executive order creating a new classification, 'Schedule Policy/Career,' for about 8,000 senior federal employees.
- The order makes it easier to remove these employees for reasons such as poor performance or subversion of directives.
- Federal worker unions, including the AFGE, claim the order politicizes the civil service and removes due process protections, potentially hindering whistleblowers.
- The White House asserts the order enhances accountability without considering political affiliation and that these positions remain civil service jobs.
- The affected employees are primarily high-ranking officials, with 97% holding GS-15 positions or equivalent, involved in policy, regulation drafting, and funding decisions.