There are thousands of federal employees who are at the senior level, managers, project coordinators, executives, bosses, who influence policy and practice of their bureaucracies.
And they now are easier for President Donald Trump to dismiss.
That’s after an executive order that affects top analysts, policy advisers and more at the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, Treasury, Justice, Energy, Environmental Protection, and Management and Budget.
They mostly are at the GS-13 and GS-14 levels and often take home paychecks approaching $200,000 a year.
Trump’s order reclassifies some 8,000 of those workers as at-will employees, meaning they can be fired without a reason.
A rule finalized by the Office of Personnel Management weeks ago set up a new category of these workers, known as “schedule policy/career.”
There were some 4,000 workers already in that category and Trump’s orders puts that population at 12,000.
“It’s been a long-standing problem that it’s almost impossible to fire a federal employee, even in cases of serious misconduct,” explained James Sherk of the Domestic Policy Council. “And that’s a particular problem if you’re in a senior policy-influencing role.”
Trump signs executive order moving career federal workers into ‘at will’ roles https://t.co/KDK3RRe5fs
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) June 4, 2026
Trump makes it easier to fire thousands of federal workers https://t.co/VStLrUszJ2
— TIME (@TIME) June 4, 2026
One of the biggest changes to the fed workforce just became reality. Thousands of career employees are being moved into a new category that strips away longstanding civil service protections and makes them effectively at-will workers. Erich Wagner reports: https://t.co/HkmohWSj8s
— GovExec (@GovExec) June 3, 2026
The move is seen as a continuation of Trump’s efforts to purge the federal employment levels, reduce that employment and cut responsibilities and duties that have been added, often in political agendas, over the years.
The White House confirmed any firings will take place “without respect to political affiliation.”
But outraged critics contended otherwise.
CEO Max Steir of Partnership for Public Service claimed it was a return to the “spoils” system whereby new presidents used to be able to replace those loyal to an outgoing administration with new candidates.
A report at Newsweek said the order means civil-service protections for those workers no longer apply.
“The move significantly broadens the administration’s ability to replace career officials in policy influencing roles, reviving elements of the Schedule F framework from Trump’s first term. The order touches dozens of agencies, including those responsible for cybersecurity, data systems, and emerging technology, and is expected to spark legal challenges and internal disruption across the federal workforce,” the report said.
White House officials have explained the change provides that senior career staff can implement the administration’s agenda without internal resistance.
Office of Personnel Management chief Scott Kupor said the positions must be filled by people “willing to and capable of carrying out” the administration’s directives.
Trump’s administration, for example, has been blocked several times by career bureaucrats who often don’t even try to hide the fact they are opposing the president’s plans.
