President Trump on Thursday created a new classification for non-career federal workers, which will make them easier to fire if they don’t carry out his priorities.
Mr. Trump signed an executive order creating a Schedule G classification for employees making policy decisions. Those employees will also be expected to leave their positions when the president who appointed them leaves office, according to a White House fact sheet.
It is unclear how many federal workers will be placed in the new classification.
“President Trump believes creating non-career Schedule G positions will enhance government efficiency and accountability and improve services provided to taxpayers by increasing the horsepower for agency implementation of administration policy,” the White House fact sheet reads.
Congress has held that some federal positions should be exempt from career-employee protections that make it difficult to remove poor-performing workers. However, existing federal employee classifications such as Schedule C and Schedule Policy/Career do not create such an exemption, leaving a gap in federal hiring, the White House said.
By creating the Schedule G classification, the White House said it is closing that gap and helping streamline appointments for key policy roles.
The effort to strip civil service protections from some workers began on Mr. Trump’s first day back in office with an executive order reinstating an order from his first term. That order, however, was rescinded by President Biden.
That order created a new category of political appointees in the federal workforce, originally called Schedule F.
OPM has estimated that 50,000 positions, or about 2% of federal workers, have been reclassified as Schedule F.
Thursday’s order comes as Mr. Trump continues to make sweeping changes to the federal government with mass firings, shuttering agencies, and ending programs.
