Monitoring democratic institutions through public records
Government Worker Protections — Week of Jun 23, 2025
Are career government workers protected from being fired for political reasons? 'Schedule F' is a rule that could let the President fire thousands of workers who aren't loyal to him.
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On June 24, 2025, the Office of Personnel Management published a final rule titled Strengthening Probationary Periods in the Federal Service that changes how new federal employees earn job protections. Previously, employees who completed their probationary period automatically gained civil service tenure. Under the new rule, agencies must now actively certify that an employee should be kept on—otherwise, they don't gain those protections. The rule also removes existing regulations that had governed how agencies could fire probationary employees.
This might matter because the civil service system is designed to protect government workers from being fired for political reasons rather than job performance. By making continued employment dependent on an agency's affirmative approval—rather than automatic upon satisfactory completion of a trial period—the new rule could give political appointees greater leverage over newer federal workers during a vulnerable stage of their careers.
The most plausible alternative explanation is that this is a straightforward management reform: probationary periods exist precisely to evaluate whether someone is a good fit, and requiring agencies to make a deliberate decision about retention could improve workforce quality. Many employers outside government already operate this way. It's also worth noting that this rule only applies to employees still in their probationary period—it does not directly change protections for long-serving career workers. Additionally, the certification requirement might end up being treated as a simple paperwork step rather than a meaningful new barrier.
That said, the rule was published as immediately effective without public comment, and its language about removing "obstacles" and "barriers" to termination signals a clear policy direction. Combined with other 2025 executive actions aimed at expanding the ability to fire federal workers, the change fits a pattern of reducing the procedural protections that have historically insulated the civil service from political pressure.
Limitations: This is AI-generated analysis based on the published rule text, not a legal determination. The rule's real-world impact will depend on how agencies implement the new certification requirement, and legal challenges could alter its effect.