Penna Dexter

A rule has been added to the federal register that will make it nearly impossible for an incoming president to fire certain federal employees.

The Office of Personnel Management issued the new rule which will shield employees appointed by the executive branch from being terminated for opposing the policies and agenda of a president.

The rule is to go into effect next month. It concerns employment protections in place for career civil servants that do not apply to political appointees.

The rule is based upon the idea that career bureaucrats — often lifelong federal employees — should not be subject to termination because they are not classified as policy-making executive branch employees.

But, as past presidents have learned, career civil servants often fill “policy-making and policy-influencing roles.” They can form part of the deep state that plagues incoming presidents when they try to implement conservative policies.

National Review’s James Lynch explains that, toward the end of his administration, former President Donald Trump issued an executive order creating a new category, “Schedule F,” for policy-making employees. These employees would not be shielded from termination for “perceived disloyalty to the president and his agenda.” The rule states: “Faithful execution of the law requires that the President have appropriate management oversight regarding this select cadre of professionals.”

President Joe Biden repealed the Trump executive order upon entering office.”

According to Family Research Council’s Washington Stand, the new rule protects “those that the Biden administration has entrenched in the federal government from a possible Trump presidency.” FRC’s Senior Director of Government Affairs Quena Gonzalez, says this new rule “undermines the authority of the American people by tying the hands of an elected president.” He says it “undermines presidential elections.”

This issue goes beyond dueling executive orders.

Though employees with experience and expertise are valuable to a federal workforce, their role is not to undermine a president or impede his effectiveness. Any rule that perpetuates a permanent ruling class should be jettisoned.