Penna Dexter

A presidential transition always involves firing federal bureaucrats that populated the previous administration. The Trump team entered office motivated and prepared for this work — and rightly so.

The Napolitan Institute, an organization founded by pollster Scott Rasmussen, recently released a poll of Washington DC-based federal bureaucrats. Sixty-four percent of those who voted for Kamala Harris for president said they would not follow a lawful order from President Trump if they disagreed with it. Forty-two percent of federal government managers,with annual salaries of $75,000 or more, said they plan to politically oppose the administration.”

Senator Rand Paul told The Daily Signal that any government employee who refuses a lawful order by the president “should be fired for cause — immediately.”

The trouble is that there are career bureaucrats — often lifelong federal employees —who are protected from termination because they are not classified as policy-making executive branch employees.

Some of these employees do influence policy.

During his first term, President Trump experienced intense opposition from certain progressive bureaucrats. So, he issued an executive order creating a new category of federal employee: “Schedule F.” These are previously-protected employees whose jobs do entail making certain decisions that impact policy. Under the Trump order, these employees would no longer be shielded from termination for “perceived disloyalty to the president and his agenda.” The rule stipulates that “the President have appropriate management oversight regarding this select cadre of professionals.”

President Biden repealed the Trump order upon entering office. And, he implemented a rule that prevents the firing of career civil servants,

Federal employees that have “policy-making and policy-influencing roles” can form part of the deep state that plagues incoming presidents when they try to implement conservative policies. That’s why President Trump is restoring Schedule F.

Congress should now consider enshrining it into Federal law.

As Senator Katie Britt of Alabama put it,  “Civil servants must serve our nation, not their political party.”