In February, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) published its final rule formally establishing Schedule Policy/Career. Regardless of this move’s constitutionality, the administration will now reclassify what will likely be tens or even hundreds of thousands of federal employees to strip away their due process rights.
Federal employees who suddenly find themselves reclassified and involuntarily transferred into this new, expansive category of positions deemed to be “policy-influencing” will become at-will workers, lose critical job protections, and risk being fired by political appointees for any reason at all, including partisan or retaliatory purposes.
With this change, the administration is further empowering itself to dismantle the nonpartisan civil service and turn ordinary federal workers — those who help run the daily functions of government and deliver services to people across the country — into political pawns.
The administration admitted it issued this rule despite the overwhelming opposition (94%) expressed in approximately 40,500 public comments. This policy also runs counter to the opinions of the vast majority of the American public, who recognize the importance of a nonpartisan civil service.
Civil service protections don’t exist just to protect federal employees. They also help ensure the health, safety, and welfare of the public. The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) has reported, testified about, commented on, and analyzed the impact of this...
exporters knowingly avoided U. S. duties on Asian and European flat-rolled steel products, agreeing to pay $19 million to resolve the dispute, according to a press release issued Wednesday by the U...