The Biden administration has strengthened civil service protections against potential reclassification and dismissals under future executive orders, aiming to preserve nonpartisan employment in federal agencies.
Kevin Bogardus reports for E&E News.
In short:
- The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released a final rule clarifying protections for career federal employees, preventing them from being reclassified as political appointees.
- This rule is designed as a countermeasure to Donald Trump’s 2020 Schedule F executive order, which aimed to make it easier to fire certain federal employees.
- If Trump returns to office, he could initiate rule changes to undo Biden’s regulations, though this process could take time.
Key quote:
“This final rule supports this policy and the nonpartisan, merit-based, career civil service which has been a hallmark of American government for over 140 years.”
— Robert Shriver, acting director of OPM
Why this matters:
This rule attempts to shield federal employees from abrupt political reclassification, a move that could otherwise disrupt agency operations. Such protections are intended to preserve institutional knowledge and nonpartisan functions in federal agencies across changing administrations.
