Trump admin moves to reclassify federal workers under Schedule Policy/Career, fka F

OPM issued guidance to federal agencies on implementing President Trump’s executive order reinstating and modifying Schedule F—now renamed Schedule Policy/Career—which could remove civil service protections from thousands of federal employees in policy-related positions. Agencies have until April 20, 2025, to submit initial petitions for reclassification, setting the stage for legal challenges over executive authority.

The 27 January 2025 OPM memo, signed by Acting Director Charles Ezell, asserts that Trump has the constitutional power to unilaterally nullify Biden-era regulations that sought to block the policy’s revival. “This presidential directive immediately superseded OPM regulations issued using delegated presidential authority,” the memo states. This claim bypasses the Administrative Procedure Act, a move nearly certain to invite courtroom battles.

The executive order outlines broad categories of policy-influencing roles that could be moved into Schedule Policy/Career, including positions responsible for developing regulations, overseeing attorneys, and engaging in legislative advocacy. These employees would lose civil service protections, making it easier for the administration to remove them.

While the administration insists that patronage remains prohibited, critics argue the policy could politicize the federal workforce. Don Kettl, a public policy expert, told Nextgov the order “asserts presidential authority under Article II [of the Constitution] in a way I’ve never seen before.”

A second executive order is expected later this spring to finalize the transfers. In the meantime, legal challenges appear imminent, as opponents argue the policy threatens the merit-based civil service system.