New OPM Rule Could Strip Federal Workforce Protections for 50,000 Employees
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has finalized a rule that reclassifies approximately 50,000 federal employees in policy-related roles, making them 'at-will' employees. This change, under the new 'Schedule Policy/Career,' removes traditional workforce protections, including adverse action procedures and appeal rights. The rule aims to increase accountability but has been criticized by federal employee advocates as a move to replace career officials with politically aligned individuals. The rule follows a similar attempt during the Trump administration to create 'Schedule F,' which was repealed by the Biden administration.