Trump Simplifies Federal Employee Dismissal Procedures, Over 50,000 Policy-Related Positions Affected

President Trump is reinstating the "Schedule F" plan to simplify the dismissal procedures for federal workers, proposing to reclassify approximately 50,000 policy-related federal employees (accounting for 2% of the total) as "at-will" employees. This plan will weaken the protection system for U.S. civil servants, making it easier for the government to dismiss those deemed disloyal. President Biden had abolished this policy upon taking office, but Trump reinstated it with an executive order on his first day back in the White House. Traditional U.S. federal civil servants enjoy job protection and cannot be dismissed for political reasons. By reclassifying policy-making positions as "at-will," the "Schedule F" plan will overturn the 140-year tradition of the Pendleton Act, which ensures civil servant neutrality. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management has requested that agencies submit proposals for position restructuring by April 20. Critics have accused the Trump administration of this move leading to a "politicized purge" of the government, undermining the professional civil service system.