New Trump Administration Policy Politicizing Federal Workforce Endangers Federal Operations, Largest Federal Employee Union Says

At a moment when the American people are watching government up close, and demanding competence, stability, and professionalism, the Office of Personnel Management’s new rule stripping tens of thousands of federal employees of their due process rights and protections pushes the federal workforce in the opposite direction.

The American Federation of Government Employees warned during the public comment period that the rule would open the door to political patronage, chill protected speech and association, and weaken enforceable protections against retaliation, particularly for whistleblowers who disclose waste, fraud, abuse, and threats to public health and safety.

“This rule is a direct assault on a professional, nonpartisan, merit-based civil service and the government services the American people rely on every day,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley. “When people see turmoil and controversy in Washington, they don’t ask for more politics in government, they ask for competence and professionalism. OPM is doing the opposite. They’re rebranding career public servants as ‘policy’ employees, silencing whistleblowers, and replacing competent professionals with political flunkies without any neutral, independent protections against politicization and arbitrary abuse of power.”

OPM’s final rule permits agencies to place employees into Schedule Policy/Career while asserting that jobs remain “career” and filled on a nonpartisan basis. But the practical impact is clear: employees moved into the new schedule can be fired “at will” by political appointees or other overseers with essentially no procedural or appeal safeguards that have long protected the integrity of government operations.

“A professional civil service means nurses and doctors can advocate for patient safety, inspectors can report violations, cybersecurity experts can warn about threats, and benefits specialists can tell the truth about what it takes to deliver services—without worrying they’ll be punished for it,” Kelley added. “Turning tens or maybe hundreds thousands of these professionals into at-will employees doesn’t make government more accountable. It makes it more vulnerable to pressure, retaliation, and political interference, which is exactly the opposite of what the public is asking for right now.”

AFGE has successfully challenged this administration’s efforts to undermine the civil service and will continue to do so, including through an imminent court challenge to the final rule brought with a coalition of unions and other plaintiffs. We also support bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate and House, “The Save the Civil Service Act,” which would overturn this rule.