Lawmakers Respond to Executive Order on Schedule F in Excepted Service

Several lawmakers have spoken out against the president’s Executive Order on Creating Schedule F in the Excepted Service, while others have expressed support.  Within days of the order’s release, several lawmakers have also introduced legislation that would reverse the order. Here is a roundup of the Congressional response:

The Saving the Civil Service Act

The Saving the Civil Service Act was introduced by House Democrats on October 27, 2020 and led by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD). Framing the order as an attack on public service, Connolly said, "[The executive order] is a last ditch attempt by the Trump administration to make it easier to remove federal employees who they deem aren't 'loyal enough' to the President and return us to patronage politics."

The bill has support from several unions including the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).

House Committee on Oversight and Reform Ranking Member James Comer (R-KY)

House Oversight and Reform Committee Ranking Member James Comer (R-KY) suggested political appointees once held the kinds of policy-making positions impacted by the executive order, but that the “growth of the bureaucracy” over time changed the makeup of the civil service.

“Our founding fathers never envisioned a massive unelected, unaccountable federal government with the power to create policies that impact Americans’ everyday lives,” he said in a statement praising the executive order. “President Trump has long pledged to take on this bureaucracy and restore power to the people by draining the swamp.”

House Committee on Oversight and Reform Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)

“President Trump’s new executive order would overturn a 150-year-old precedent that created an expert non-partisan civil service and return us to the ‘spoils system’ of political governance," House Committee on Oversight and Reform Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) said in a statement. "Congress must ensure President Trump isn’t allowed to politicize these critical policy positions.”