Before Donald Trump became president, he was known for his catchphrase on a reality TV show: “You’re fired!”
As president, he is threatening to cut 50,000 federal positions. There will be federal employees whom he replaces as part of the usual political turnover, and others whom he will fire as retribution for being disloyal. But when it comes to firing most federal employees, it isn’t as easy as it appears on television. Federal employees are protected by a system that upholds accountability and fairness — values that cannot be undermined for political gain.
Every time a new administration takes office, the federal civil service system faces scrutiny, with calls to cut the federal workforce, relocate agencies or revoke telework privileges. President Trump, along with advisors like Elon Musk, are making drastic changes to the federal civil service. This includes elimination of entire federal agencies and the reinstatement of Schedule F, a federal employment category that strips many federal employees of their due process protections and makes it easier to fire them. However, dismantling the federal civil service system is not as straightforward as some may claim, and there are compelling reasons to defend it.
The federal civil service system exists to ensure that hiring and firing decisions are based on merit, not political favoritism. Legal and procedural standards, enforced by the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, require managers to provide a reason for taking...
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