President Joe Biden’s administration has finalized a rule through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) designed to protect civil service employees from being dismissed by potential future administrations.
Announced on Thursday, this rule aims to make the process of transferring federal employees into categories where they could be more easily fired more complex and time-consuming.
“Career federal employees deliver critical services for Americans in every community,” OPM Director Kiran Ahuja stated in a press release. “This final rule honors our 2.2 million career civil servants, helping ensure that people are hired and fired based on merit and that they can carry out their duties based on their expertise and not political loyalty. The Biden-Harris Administration is deeply committed to the federal workforce, as these professionals are vital to our national security, our health, our economic prosperity, and much more.”
The implementation of this rule comes in response to a 2020 executive order by former President Donald Trump, which aimed at making it easier for the president to hire and fire federal workers by moving some into a new category known as “Schedule F.”
“This rule is about making sure the American public can continue to count on federal workers to apply their skills and expertise in carrying out their jobs, no matter their personal political beliefs,” OPM Deputy Director Rob Shriver explained to reporters.
The rule is set for publication in the Federal Register and represents an effort to safeguard employment decisions from political influence, ensuring they remain merit-based.
The Biden administration’s decision to implement a rule via the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) marks a significant policy shift intended to protect civil service employees from dismissal due to administrative changes.
This move directly counters a 2020 executive order by former President Donald Trump, which sought to facilitate the firing of federal workers by classifying them under a new category known as “Schedule F.” The OPM’s rule aims to ensure that federal employment decisions remain merit-based, devoid of political influence. This action reflects ongoing discussions about the integrity and stability of the U.S. civil service system, highlighting the administration’s commitment to maintaining a nonpartisan federal workforce amidst a political landscape that has, in recent years, seen attempts to modify the traditional protections afforded to civil servants.
The Biden administration’s decision to implement a rule via the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) marks a significant policy shift intended to protect civil service employees from dismissal due to administrative changes.
This move directly counters a 2020 executive order by former President Donald Trump, which sought to facilitate the firing of federal workers by classifying them under a new category known as “Schedule F.” The OPM’s rule aims to ensure that federal employment decisions remain merit-based, devoid of political influence.
I call baloney! That is just ridiculous! There should be no rule that protects any bearuacrAts job! They are just trying to protect there own people!