A revived Trump plan to gut federal civil service would be dangerous for America

The National Nuclear Safety Administration is an agency within the Department of Energy that most Americans probably have never heard of, but would likely agree is essential upon learning its mission: to safely manage and maintain our country’s nuclear weapons stockpile.

Yet, in 2017, the Trump administration nearly let the agency operate without its leader. The day before the former president’s inauguration, one of my last official duties as director of the White House Office of Presidential Personnel was ensuring that wouldn’t be the case.

During a transition in presidential administrations, the incoming and outgoing teams traditionally work collaboratively to build a list of political appointees whose jobs are of such national importance that they should remain in their positions until the incoming president selects and appoints their own people. The risk of vacant national security positions is evident in the bipartisan 9/11 Commission’s report, which highlighted the number of vacancies at the time of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

In 2016, as PPO’s director, I was responsible for developing this list of “holdovers.” Near the top was Lt. Gen. Frank Klotz, then administrator of the NNSA. But for months, after delivering the list to president-elect Trump’s team, I heard nothing about Klotz. Not until Jan. 19, 2017 — after several members of Congress reportedly intervened — did I receive an email from Trump’s team informing me of their agreement that Klotz should continue in his post. I then shared the news with Klotz (who luckily had not yet left his position and was still in Washington) and arranged for his continued service.

Potentially leaving the NNSA without its administrator and witnessing the president-elect’s misdirected focus was disturbing. But I took solace in knowing that, even without Klotz, the NNSA would still have capable career officials serving. In fact, the vast majority of the 2 million employees in the federal government —all but approximately 4,000 political appointees — occupy such positions that are filled based on merit, irrespective of their political views.

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Now, the prospect of Trump’s reelection has me even more worried. With time, experience, and an army of acolytes, Trump and his team are preparing to remake the executive branch entirely.

Thirteen days before Trump lost the election in 2020, he signed an executive order, shorthanded as “Schedule F,” allowing for the reclassification of tens of thousands of career officials into a new category (or “schedule”) whereby they can be quickly fired and replaced at the discretion of political officials. It threatened to turn a swath of career positions into essentially political ones, including the lawyers, scientists, and other experts who contribute to policies and regulations governing everything from the quality of the water we drink to the safety and efficacy of new drugs on the market.

One proponent admitted its intent was “to bend or break the bureaucracy to the presidential will.” With such an order, there would be no guarantees that a civilian workforce could capably keep complex government agencies, like the NNSA, effectively and safely operating.

Thankfully, Trump ran out of time to implement his order and President Joe Biden immediately revoked it. Next time, we won’t be so lucky.

Link to Project 2025

The Heritage Foundation, with the assistance of over 100 right-wing organizations, has developed Project 2025, which serves as a road map for a second Trump term (despite Trump’s claims to the contrary). A key pillar of its playbook relies on the re-adoption of Schedule F.

With so many problems plaguing our country and the world, people are understandably skeptical of the federal government’s ability to deliver. While the existing civil service system is due for renewal, history proves it is more effective than a spoils system and continues to accomplish impressive feats, such as the largest mass vaccination campaign in human history for COVID-19 and routinely protecting our food supply from contamination.

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Significantly, no data supports replacing career experts with at-will, political loyalists. Indeed, as a primer published by the University of Chicago’s Center for Effective Government points out, the evidence on government performance actually calls for reducing the number of political appointees.

To understand the seismic shift Schedule F would have, look no further than actions Trump took, or attempted to take, in his first term.

Demanding the National Weather Service confirm his made-up path of Hurricane Dorian in 2019, when he incorrectly claimed it was headed for Alabama (which became known as “Sharpiegate” after he notoriously revised a NWS map of the hurricane’s trajectory). Encouraging people to digest poison during the throes of the pandemic, which was followed by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s publication (and subsequent reversal) of unusual guidance based on anecdotes. 

There were also the circumstances that led to his first impeachment, when he retaliated against the former ambassador to Ukraine for not furthering his desire to support Russian-backed propaganda against Joe Biden.

In a second term with a Schedule F regime, it’s less likely Trump would be constrained by career officials working under the threat of removal. His plans depend on it. Indeed, Trump has made clear his intention to, among other things, prosecute his political rivals; use the National Guard and the military to deport immigrants and quash protests; and has even suggested he would not defend U.S. allies.

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This scheme should alarm all Americans, even those disconnected from the targeted groups.

My former colleague, Walt Shaub, suggests why: Right now retirees and veterans don’t have to worry that their party affiliations will affect the processing of their benefits. Passengers on commercial flights don’t have to worry that air traffic controllers might strand them for hours if the airline’s CEO criticizes the president. Small firms don’t have to worry that they’ll be targeted for regulatory enforcement based on their leaders’ political views. Federal law enforcement agencies don’t have to take direction from politicians aiming to target their perceived enemies.

Schedule F is at best a gimmick and, at its worst, reckless and dangerous.

Rudy Mehrbani served as an assistant to the president and director of presidential personnel, and as associate White House counsel in the Obama administration. He is an advisory council member for the Center for Effective Government at the University of Chicago.

The Democracy Solutions Project is a collaboration among WBEZ, the Chicago Sun-Times and the University of Chicago’s Center for Effective Government, with funding support from the Pulitzer Center. Our goal is to help our community of readers and listeners engage with the democratic functions in their lives and cast an informed ballot in November’s election.

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