Trump order removes civil service protections for 8,000 US workers

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order removing civil service protections from an estimated 8,000 federal employees, allowing them to be dismissed without cause.

The move expands a new category of at-will government staff known as Schedule Policy/Career, previously called Schedule F during Trump’s first term.

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Most of the affected workers are senior civil servants at the GS-15 level, including programme managers, regional office heads and senior communications officials.

The White House said the change is aimed at improving accountability within federal agencies and ensuring government employees carry out the president’s agenda.

“This is very much about accountability,” Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor told reporters on Wednesday.

“It’s also about a restoration, in our mind, of the democratic process,” he added.

Kupor said the the administration believes federal workers implementing policy should follow presidential directives and confirmed the order creates a mechanism for them “to be removed effectively at will”.

Critics argue the move weakens protections designed to shield government workers from political interference.

Several lawsuits challenging the policy have already been filed.