Trump order could spark mass firings of civil servants, lawmakers warn
Source: Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. government civil servants could face mass firings under an October executive order before President Donald Trump leaves office and Democratic lawmakers, watchdog groups and unions are mobilizing to block the move.
Leaders of 23 House committees and subcommittees asked the heads of 61 federal departments and agencies to provide a "full accounting" of any plans to reclassify federal workers under the Oct. 21 order, leaving them vulnerable to firing.
They also asked for details about any Trump political appointees who have already been hired into career jobs or are being considered. Initial responses are due Dec. 9, followed by biweekly updates, according to the letter, spearheaded by Oversight and Reform Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney.
Wednesday's letter came after 13 House Democrats, including Gerry Connolly, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Government Operations and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, on Tuesday urged appropriators to reverse the order in their next spending bill.
Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-order-could-spark-mass-215618309.html
= new reply since forum marked as read
was "an option" for agencies to utilize and they were "directed to 'look'" at their various positions and decide if any fit the criteria AND they had "6 months" to do it - which would go well beyond the Inauguration (and could be invalidated via a new E.O. rescinding it).
This whole idea was put into place BEFORE the election, with the assumption that he would get another 4-year term and would actually have the time to fully implement this before 2024. Now with the election results, I doubt they would be able to get much if anything in place across the federal departments and agencies with that category.
Here is the E.O. - https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-creating-schedule-f-excepted-service/
Since the election, apparently some of the smallest agencies are trying to hurry the process -
https://www.govexec.com/management/2020/11/omb-reportedly-designates-88-its-employees-schedule-f/170275/
- and -
Published: November 24, 2020
(snip)
The first deadline for sending such lists to OPM is January 19—a day before Inauguration Day—but there have been indications that some agencies are moving quickly on that initiative.
That could result in a change of status before then of potentially many thousands of employees, at least some of whom might be summarily fired and possibly replaced with Trump appointees—who could be quickly put in place because the order also exempts such positions from competition in hiring.
There have been news reports that, for example, OMB already has determined that as many as nine-tenths of its career employees would be potentially affected. Biden is widely expected to overturn that order but the task would be more complex if any such changes were already made by the time he takes office.
Bills have been offered in both the House and Senate with the goal of overturning the order more quickly, which sponsors may attempt to attach to a bill to be considered soon to fund the government beyond the December 11 expiration of the current temporary spending authority. The Trump administration likely would strongly oppose such a move, though, potentially threatening a veto of what is considered a “must-pass” bill.
https://www.fedweek.com/fedweek/transition-highlights-dueling-priorities-for-federal-workforce/
The consideration to add a rider to the C.R. coming up for December 11 may actually be a good solution (even if to demand hearings and whatnot to slow it enough to torpedo it) but we'll see. It may end up as a messaging war if the GOP goes scorched earth and lets the government shut down over a ridiculous move that makes the government into an "Apprentice" style operation.
I know during my 30+ year federal career, my positions had been reclassified and/or the PDs were updated a few times and it usually took forever for them to actually do it - one could blame the so-called "bureaucratic red tape" oft-complained about and technically it shouldn't be any different in this case either.
You may have appointee mouthpieces claiming to be able to do it in a couple weeks but then they are incompetent appointee mouthpieces who will be gone by this time next month.
I have been through many hyperbolic dramatic changes like this where the media (like what we have seen even with this election and all the failed lawsuits that they underhandedly seemed to give credence to) seemed to magnify the potential to get article clicks.
But I agree that Congress should be (and apparently is) investigating to ensure that the Executive doesn't unilaterally skirt around the latest Civil Service Act (and its amendments/updates).
