Congress won't block Trump's order to strip civil service protections from many federal workers

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: Washington Post

Politics

Congress won’t block Trump’s order to strip civil service protections from many federal workers

By Eric Yoder
Dec. 21, 2020 at 5:43 p.m. EST

The massive tax and spending bill Congress is poised to approve would not prevent the Trump administration from stripping most civil service protections from a large class of federal employees, a dramatic reshaping of the career workforce opposed by federal employee groups and many Democrats.

The bill also opens the door for President Trump to finalize the 1 percent federal raise for January that he earlier proposed, although that is not guaranteed since more recently the administration advocated a pay freeze. It also gives many employees more time to pay a tax debt that was created under a separate administration policy.

The bill is silent regarding an executive order issued just before the election that would change the status of federal employees whose work involves making or carrying out policy or giving confidential advice to top officials. Under the order, they could be dismissed with little cause or recourse, much like the political appointees who come and go with each administration, and competition would no longer be required when filling such jobs.

Federal agencies have been working to complete lists of such positions ahead of a Jan. 19 deadline—the day before President-elect Biden will be inaugurated—for conversion into a new category of positions to be called Schedule F.

{snip}

Eric Yoder
Eric Yoder is a National reporter at The Washington Post. He has reported for The Post since 2000, concentrating on federal employee issues, the budget and government management policies. Follow https://twitter.com/EricYoderWP

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress-trump-federal-civil-service/2020/12/21/389812f6-43d7-11eb-975c-d17b8815a66d_story.html

[ananda]

1. I'm not sure I understand.

Will Biden restore the protections?

[tinymontgomery]

2. Thats what I was wondering.

Can’t Biden go in and just issue EO’s that basically override Trumps EO’s and if not why not.

[iluvtennis]

3. Yes, I think Joe can do that. nt

[AnnaLee]

4. Government newsletters warn against thinking the reversal will be easy.

https://www.govexec.com/management/2020/10/stunning-executive-order-would-politicize-civil-service/169479/

“If you think about examples of how this could play out, Dr. [Anthony] Fauci could be fired, as well as individuals at the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] who are producing analysis about the spread of the coronavirus, social distancing and the importance of masks,” Kettl said. “You could have people within the State Department raising questions about the administration’s expansion of efforts to engage in crackdowns and change other policies who could be fired. The people counting the number of immigrant children who cannot be reunited with their parents could be fired. There’s no end to it because the biggest risk is that anyone who says anything that would be in opposition to the administration’s policy could be viewed as in a policy-making position, put in Schedule F and fired.”

https://www.govexec.com/pay-benefits/2020/12/spending-agreement-would-allow-1-pay-raise-fails-ban-schedule-f/170948/

The bill also makes no mention of Schedule F, the controversial plan unveiled by Trump in October that would strip the civil service protections of potentially hundreds of thousands of career federal workers, making them effectively at-will employees. Experts warn that even partial implementation of Trump’s executive order establishing Schedule F could have broad ramifications and will be difficult for the Biden administration to roll back.

[calclar]

5. Yikes!

[DeminPennswoods]

7. Any EO can be reversed

The list isn't coming out until Jan 19th. No way will agency HR depts or OPM be able to cut that much paperwork before Biden takes office.

[EndlessWire]

6. They're turning us into some future

dictator's private government. I want Joe to at least try to reverse this harm Trump is doing.

They want to dumb down the Government, if that's possible. I mean, we DO have some bright people--but they won't be allowed to stay if they are not "yes" people. So, why should they sign up for this crap in the first place?

[CBHagman]

8. So Trump is basically like a burglar takes what he wants, trashes the house...

...and then relieves himself all over whatever he's chosen not to take.

Every time I think I know how foul and disgusting and vindictive he is, how utterly contemptuous of people who can do things he's never even attempted, he comes up with something even worse.

I hope that in the future he and every person who's enabled him are made to face an inescapable and thorough reckoning, an exposure of just how sordid and destructive his entire so-called career has been.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

9. The way its going shouldn't the headline read

Republicans won't block Trump's order............ etc?