Clash Continues Over Public Service Reform, Schedule F Amongst Lawmakers
Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX), Mary Miller (R-IL), Troy Nehls, R-(TX), Bob Good (R-VA), and Lauren Boebert (R-CO), introduced legislation this week to eliminate several federal civil service protections.
Preserving Competence in the Civil Service
If one wanted to cripple the leadership and efficiency of the civil service, it would be difficult to design a more efficient way to do it than the creation of Schedule F. Not only would the result of Schedule F have been a routine, mass firing every four to eight years of the upper echelons of the bureaucracy that enables the government to function, but it also would have created an incredible incentive for competent feds who would make excellent leaders to do everything in their power to avoid promotion to the level where their talents could be best used.
Biden Rescinds Schedule F, Workforce Executive Orders from Trump Administration
President Biden rescinded several executive orders imposed by President Trump within his first few days in office. Among the rescinded orders is one signed on October 21, 2020 that created a new “Schedule F” class of federal employees.
Lawmakers Calls to Defund and Block Schedule F Grow
Members of Congress and employee groups are asking for President Trump’s Executive Order on Creating Schedule F in the Excepted Service to be blocked in the next spending bill.
How PLI Can Help Protect Against Schedule F
On October 21, President Trump issued Executive Order 13957, which will reclassify workers "in positions of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character" into a new category, Schedule F. Schedule F employees will be exempt from the typical federal employment processes, making the positions easier to hire and fire. While the number of federal employees impacted by the Executive Order is unknown due to the elastic definition of what could be classified as Schedule F, the American Federation of Government Employees estimates that it could impact “perhaps hundreds of thousands” of federal employees.
Politicizing the Civil Service is a Disturbingly Bad Idea: FMA Responds to Executive Order
As most feds are now aware, President Trump recently signed an executive order to create a Schedule F in the Excepted Service, a new class of career “confidential, policy-determining, or policy-advocating” positions. Concerning to FMA, this move strips civil service protections from a huge, as yet-untold number of federal workers.
Executive Order Creates New Class of Federal Employees
President Trump signed an executive order on October 21, 2020 creating a new classification for federal employees. Per the order, employees that are in confidential, policy making positions would be categorized as Schedule F employees and would not be subject to traditional Title 5 workplace protections. These employees would also be barred from organizing against or appealing the administration. The order grants agency leaders broad discretion to hire and fire individuals in this schedule.
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: