An executive order President Trump signed on June 3 formalized Schedule Policy/Career, a new employment category that strips job protections from approximately 8,000 federal employee positions. The move marks the culmination of an effort Trump launched during his first term to remove civil service protections from federal workers in senior roles.
Nearly all of the affected positions—about 97%—are at or above the GS-15 level, the highest rank in the civil service, according to a senior administration official. These include leaders of agency divisions, heads of regional offices, chief information officers, senior HR officials, program managers, and officials overseeing policy development, budget allocations, and federal grantmaking.
Employees moved into Schedule Policy/Career can now be fired for any reason without providing cause, eliminating the formal appeal processes that have long protected federal workers. Under the new rules, affected employees lose the right to appeal adverse actions to the Merit Systems Protection Board and cannot challenge their initial reclassifications.
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The 8,000 figure is substantially lower than earlier projections. The Office of Personnel Management initially estimated that Schedule Policy/Career could affect about 50,000 positions, while some earlier analyses suggested as many as 200,000 positions might be converted. The administration has not ruled out expanding the pool in the future.
In addition to losing appeal rights, reclassified employees will no longer be eligible for student loan repayment assistance, recruitment incentives, retention bonuses, or relocation assistance. The Trump administration says these changes aim to improve accountability and ensure the federal workforce carries out the president’s policy agenda.
Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor told reporters that Schedule Policy/Career represents “a restoration, in our mind, of the democratic process.” He argued that the creation of the new category is necessary because the current system makes it too difficult to remove federal employees for poor performance.
The policy is already facing multiple lawsuits. Democracy Forward and other organizations argue that Schedule Policy/Career violates due process rights, exceeds presidential authority, and contradicts federal statute. The litigation is likely to reach the Supreme Court, where the administration’s theory that Article II of the Constitution gives the president full control over the executive branch may receive a sympathetic hearing.
The move represents a revival of Trump’s first-term effort to create what was then called Schedule F. That 2020 executive order went largely unimplemented and was quickly rescinded under the Biden administration. This time, the administration began planning the policy on Trump’s first day in office in January 2025, issued final regulations in February 2026, and formalized the reclassifications this week.
Sources
- Federal News Network — executive order details, GS-15 level data, student loan and incentive eligibility changes, and quotes from OPM Director Scott Kupor
- NPR — executive order signing date, 8,000 employee count, GS-15 level breakdown, appeal rights elimination, and broader context on federal civil service protections
- The White House — official statement on Schedule Policy/Career implementation
