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The Trump administration on Thursday finalized a rule that could make it easier to remove an estimated 50,000 federal employees involved in policymaking roles, significantly changing long-standing civil service protections.
The rule, known as **Schedule Policy/Career**, reclassifies certain federal workers into a category more similar to political appointees, allowing them to be dismissed more easily. Administration officials say the change is intended to ensure federal employees carry out the elected administration’s policy priorities.
Scott Kupor, director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), said the rule is not intended to target employees based on political beliefs but rather to address situations in which workers are viewed as obstructing policy implementation.
“This is not about people’s views or ideas,” Kupor said, adding that the rule is aimed at employees who refuse to perform duties consistent with administration objectives.
Labor unions representing federal employees strongly criticized the move, arguing it could weaken the independence of the civil service and increase political influence over government operations. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) said the change risks undermining a professional, nonpartisan workforce and could open the door to political patronage.
Union leaders also raised concerns about changes to whistleblower protections included in the rule. Under the new framework, affected employees would be required to report allegations of waste, fraud, or abuse within their own agencies rather than to the independent Office of Special Counsel. Complaints would instead be reviewed by agency general counsels, who are political appointees, before further investigation.
The administration has defended the policy as part of a broader effort to improve accountability within federal agencies, while critics argue it could reduce safeguards designed to protect career civil servants from political pressure.
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