President Trump signed an executive order on June 3, 2026, reclassifying approximately 8,000 federal employees into a new employment category called Schedule Policy/Career, stripping them of long-standing civil service protections and making them at-will workers who can be fired for any reason. The move represents the culmination of an effort Trump launched during his first term to give the president greater control over the federal workforce by removing job protections from career employees.
Nearly all 8,000 affected employees work at the highest level of the civil service, known as GS-15. According to the Trump administration, these positions hold significant influence over policy and include leaders of policy offices and their chiefs of staff, heads of regional offices, program managers, senior public affairs officers, and those overseeing spending and grants. The federal government currently has about 4,000 political appointees who serve at the president’s pleasure; this order would roughly triple that number of at-will employees.
Under the new classification, reclassified employees lose the ability to appeal disciplinary actions or terminations, a protection that has existed since the late 19th century. The Office of Personnel Management detailed in guidance released June 8, 2026, that agencies no longer need to institute lengthy performance improvement plans before firing Schedule Policy/Career employees. Affected workers are ineligible for the adverse action proceedings that protect career civil service members and cannot appeal their initial transfer into the new employment category.
A 140-Year-Old System Under Pressure
The civil service protections being stripped away were established in the late 1800s following a pivotal moment in American history. In 1881, a disgruntled jobseeker assassinated President James A. Garfield, prompting Congress to enact a series of laws granting federal workers job protections. Starting with the Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883, these laws were designed to shield the government from corruption and provide continuity across presidential administrations by ensuring federal employees were hired and fired based on merit, not political affiliation.
The Trump administration argues that the move to Schedule Policy/Career does not represent a return to the old spoils system, noting that the hiring process for reclassified positions remains unchanged. Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor told reporters Wednesday that “this is very much about accountability” and “a restoration, in our mind, of the democratic process.” He emphasized that given the president is the elected official in the executive branch, government employees implementing policy must be willing to carry out the president’s directives.
Expert Warnings About Politicization
Critics and policy experts have raised concerns that the move will increase political interference in government operations. Don Moynihan, a professor at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy, warned that the change “creates bubbles around policymakers.” He explained that career civil servants would become less likely to share bad news with leadership if they fear immediate termination in response.
Moynihan points to recent examples of how political appointees without civil service protections have faced retaliation for contradicting the president. The head of the Defense Intelligence Agency was fired after the agency issued a report contradicting Trump’s assessment of U.S. airstrikes in Iran. The commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics was replaced after a disappointing jobs report. These precedents suggest what may happen to reclassified employees who deliver unwelcome information.
Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward—one of several organizations suing the Trump administration over the rule—stated: “The people responsible for protecting our public health, safeguarding our environment, delivering our mail, managing our airports, protecting our public lands, and enforcing our laws should be allowed to do their jobs, not targeted by the same government they serve. When government experts can be fired without cause, it’s not just federal workers who are harmed — it’s the people across the country who rely on these essential services every day.”
The number of positions initially reclassified is smaller than anticipated. The Office of Personnel Management originally estimated that up to 50,000 federal positions could be converted to Schedule Policy/Career. However, the Trump administration has not ruled out expanding the pool at a later date. Moynihan suggests the administration may be starting with more defensible policy-making roles to strengthen its legal position, with plans to broaden the reach once the rule is upheld in court.
Litigation over Schedule Policy/Career is ongoing, with multiple lawsuits filed before the June 3 order. Moynihan predicts the issue will ultimately reach the Supreme Court, where the administration believes it will find a receptive audience. The underlying constitutional theory the administration has advanced—that Article II of the Constitution grants the president full control of the executive branch—has already drawn interest from the conservative majority on the court.
Sources
- NPR — reported Trump’s executive order reclassifying 8,000 federal workers into at-will employees, the GS-15 level breakdown, historical context on civil service protections and the 1881 assassination of President Garfield, and quoted OPM Director Scott Kupor and expert Don Moynihan on implications.
- The Washington Post — confirmed the executive order signed June 3, 2026, reclassifying about 8,000 senior federal workers and making them easier to fire.
- Federal News Network — detailed OPM guidance on adverse action procedures, performance improvement plans, termination processes, and loss of appeal rights for Schedule Policy/Career employees; reported the original 50,000 estimate and quoted NARFE and AFGE union leaders on concerns.
