Trump's New Rule Change: Easier to Fire Federal Workers with Greater Job Protections.

President Trump is rolling out changes to make it easier to fire federal employees with significant job protections. The proposed rule change, "Improving Performance, Accountability and Responsiveness in the Civil Service," would allow the administration to move tens of thousands of civil servants into a new category of employees who would serve at the pleasure of the president. Critics argue that this is part of Trump's efforts to politicize the civil service, which could have negative consequences for the American people.

President Donald Trump is accelerating efforts to transform the nonpartisan, merit-based federal workforce into one that demands and rewards loyalty to the president. According to civil servants, public service experts, and employment attorneys, the ongoing shift would ditch decades-old rules that were intended to ensure that federal hiring, retention, and promotion decisions are based largely on employees' skills and experience [2].

The House-passed budget proposal under consideration in the Senate would give new federal workers an ultimatum to accept "at-will" status — meaning they could be more easily fired — or pay a higher retirement contribution. Additionally, the administration has unveiled a plan to require job applicants to write short essays describing how they plan to advance Trump’s priorities [2].

The administration's moves appear designed to hollow out a government staffed by experts and replace it with one filled by political allies. Many civil servants now fear the changes will further upend a workforce that has historically prized competence and neutrality. In interviews with 13 federal employees across seven agencies, workers described the transformation as a direct assault on the foundational principles of public service [2].

The Trump administration argues that the government had stopped hiring based on merit, pointing to agencies that released demographic recruitment and workforce data and carried out diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. However, critics argue that these changes could lead to a less efficient and more politicized federal workforce [2].

One of Trump's most significant moves is the attempt to reinstate Schedule F, an order originally issued in his first term to reclassify tens of thousands of policy-related civil servants, effectively removing their protections. President Joe Biden rescinded the order in 2021 and replaced it with an administrative rule intended to block its return — but Trump’s order and subsequent rulemaking aim to override that safeguard [2].

The proposed rule change, "Improving Performance, Accountability, and Responsiveness in the Civil Service," would allow the administration to move tens of thousands of civil servants into a new category of employees who would serve at the pleasure of the president. Critics argue that this is part of Trump's efforts to politicize the civil service, which could have negative consequences for the American people [2].

The changes could potentially impact the stability and efficiency of the federal workforce, as well as the public trust in the government. While some conservatives celebrate the shift in hiring and firing practices, many civil servants and public service experts are concerned about the long-term implications of these reforms [2].

References:
[1] https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/softbank-founder-pitches-1-trillion-us-ai-hub-to-tsmc-and-trump-team/article69726532.ece
[2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/06/16/trump-civil-service-loyalty-firings/