Civil Service
The Trump hiring plan wants to fix federal jobs, but it might just make things worse
COMMENTARY | The administration’s new approach promises faster, fairer hiring. But with old-school rules and political essay tests, it could actually make the process harder for everyone. There is another, better way.
Employee groups challenge ‘favorite EO’ question as agencies begin rollout
Experts warn that the Trump administration’s new essay questionnaire for most federal job applicants amount to a litmus test to politicize agency hiring.
Trump’s push for executive order loyalty risks undermining the federal workforce and the Constitution
COMMENTARY | Federal workers are being asked to prove their loyalty to Trump’s agenda, but history shows that when politics overtakes merit, government performance suffers.
Trump’s new civil service hiring plan: Merit or Meritless?
COMMENTARY | OPM's new Merit Hiring Plan isn't based on a new principle, but its enactment could make Schedule F look quaint, says the former vice chairman of the Merit Systems Protection Board.
Federal workforce advocates flood opposition to renewed Schedule F
With just a day remaining before the deadline to submit comments on the Trump administration’s proposed Schedule F regulations, the vast majority of more than 30,000 submissions were opposed to the measure.
Oversight Dems: Commerce reneged on probationers’ health benefits
Some recently fired probationary workers have also been unable to access their personnel records to show to insurance companies and prospective employers.
Appeals court: Has Trump neutered the Civil Service Reform Act?
A three-judge panel on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals revived a lawsuit challenging the gag order on federal immigration judges in light of the president’s decision to fire the U.S. special counsel and members of the Merit Systems Protection Board.
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Lynch: OPM’s hiring plan includes ‘blatant loyalty test’
The Trump administration last week unveiled its new ‘Merit Hiring Plan’ that in part quizzes job applicants about their favorite Trump policy or executive order.
OPM ‘merit’ hiring plan includes bipartisan reforms, politicized new test
The federal government’s HR agency on Thursday instructed agencies to cease collecting data on the demographic makeup of their workforces.
Agencies are violating the law on administrative leave, and taxpayers are paying the price
COMMENTARY | Administrative leave must be brief and directed toward furthering, not frustrating, agency operations.
Judges issue promising rulings for groups fighting Trump’s anti-union order
A federal judge in Kentucky tossed the Trump administration’s bid to secure a court victory prior to formally rescinding union contracts under the guise of national security, while another jurist sought new avenues to potentially block the March executive order’s implementation.
A judge has moved again to block Trump’s anti-union EO
Just weeks after issuing a preliminary injunction to block an edict aimed at stripping two-thirds of the federal workforce of its collective bargaining rights, U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman issued a similar decision as it relates to U.S. Foreign Service officers.
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Congressional Dems urge rescission of Schedule F regulations
Though the Office of Personnel Management has estimated around 50,000 federal employees, or 2% of the workforce, would be stripped of their civil service protections under the controversial initiative, lawmakers warned a failure to define "policy-related” positions will cause far more to become at-will employees.
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Connolly demands rescission of regulations reviving Schedule F
The top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee warned that politicization of the federal workforce will lead to more instances of “incompetence” in government.
Judge: Trump’s national security reasoning for anti-union EO was 'pretext for retaliation'
Even when taken at face value, U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman said the White House did not meet the evidentiary bar to prove that collective bargaining was incompatible with national security considerations for the majority of federal agencies.
Republicans tee up federal worker benefit cuts to pay for tax cuts
Federal workers hired in 2029 would contribute nearly 10% of their basic pay toward a less generous pension if they wish to retain their civil service protections under House lawmakers’ budget reconciliation proposal.
To support or to sabotage: Public service and public servants in an American democracy
COMMENTARY | "Good government" organizations dedicated to public service may face a quandary when it comes to the winnowing of the federal workforce.
Judge grills administration on ‘broad discretion’ to break up federal unions
A Justice Department attorney appeared to argue that it is within the president’s rights to strip ‘resistant’ unions of their collective bargaining rights under the auspices of national security.
Dudek calls for entire SSA offices to be converted to new Schedule F
The planned conversions, intended for federal workers in policy-related positions, affect employees making as little as $40,000 per year.
OPM, OMB nominees praise ‘at-will’ employment at confirmation hearing
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee considered the nominations of Scott Kupor to serve as OPM director and Eric Ueland to serve as OMB’s deputy director for management.
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Some agencies are notifying employees of their ‘Schedule F’ status
Agencies are submitting lists of employees who will lose civil service protections and some are taking a broad approach.
