President Trump signed an executive order on June 3, 2026, that formalizes Schedule Policy/Career, a new employment classification stripping civil service protections from approximately 8,000 federal workers in senior policy roles across government.
Quick Facts
- Nearly all affected positions are at the GS-15 level or above, the highest ranks of the civil service.
- Reclassified employees become at-will workers and can be fired for any reason without appeal rights.
- The move affects senior leaders, policy advisors, regional office heads, and chief officers including CIOs and chief learning officers.
- The Trump administration initially estimated 50,000 positions could be reclassified, but the executive order covers far fewer.
Employees moved into Schedule Policy/Career will lose the ability to appeal disciplinary actions to the Merit Systems Protection Board. In most cases, they will also become ineligible for student loan repayment programs, recruitment incentives, and relocation bonuses.
Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor told reporters the change aims to improve accountability and ensure federal workers carry out the president’s policy agenda. “What Schedule Policy/Career does is really nothing new,” Kupor said. “This is exactly the way the system worked for a very long time.”
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Federal unions and government watchdog groups have challenged the policy in court. Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, called it “a blatant attempt to corrupt the federal government by eliminating employees’ due process rights so they can be fired for political reasons.”
Critics warn the reclassification will discourage federal workers from reporting waste, fraud, and mismanagement, fearing retaliation. Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward, which is suing the Trump administration, said the move makes it easier to “purge experienced public servants” and harms the people who rely on government services.
The Trump administration has not ruled out expanding the number of positions reclassified under Schedule Policy/Career in the future. The policy was originally attempted during Trump’s first term as “Schedule F” but was rescinded under the Biden administration.
Sources
- Federal News Network — executive order details, employee protections, administration justification, and union response.
- NPR — number of affected workers, civil service protections stripped, at-will employment status, and expert analysis on politicization risks.
- The White House — official executive order on Schedule Policy/Career implementation.
