Washington, D.C., Feb. 5 — The Trump administration has announced a sweeping overhaul of the federal civil service system that will give the president expanded authority to hire and dismiss up to 50,000 career federal employees.
The policy, released Thursday by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), fulfills a campaign pledge by President Donald Trump to remove job protections from federal employees deemed to be influencing government policy. The initiative, known as “Schedule F,” represents the most significant change to civil service rules in more than a century.
Under the new framework, the president will have the authority to designate specific federal positions that will no longer be covered by traditional civil service protections. Administration officials say the changes are aimed at ensuring federal employees carry out the lawful objectives and priorities of the elected administration.
“You can’t run an organization if people are refusing to actually carry out the lawful objectives and orders of the administration,” said OPM Director Scott Kupor, who oversees federal human resources policy.
The rule is expected to face legal scrutiny. Federal employee unions and allied organizations filed a lawsuit in January seeking to block the policy before its finalization. Litigation was temporarily paused while the administration completed the rulemaking process, but legal challenges are expected to resume in the coming days.
“We will return to court to stop this unlawful rule and will use every legal tool available to hold this administration accountable,” said Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward, one of the groups leading the lawsuit.
Changes to Whistleblower Protections
In addition to the civil service overhaul, the administration announced changes to how whistleblower protections will be enforced across federal agencies.
Under the new policy, individual agencies will be responsible for establishing and enforcing job protections for employees who report misconduct, such as violations of the law or misuse of public funds. Previously, those protections were overseen by an independent agency, the Office of the Special Counsel.
OPM officials stated that agency-led investigations into whistleblower retaliation claims will be required to be conducted by “unbiased” officials, marking a shift in how such cases have historically been handled.
The administration maintains that these changes are designed to improve accountability and efficiency within the federal workforce.
