Federal Employment Losing Its Invulnerability?

President Trump has issued an executive order that is essentially a revamping of Federal Schedule F.

While a lot of work is to be done regarding enactment, many federal positions are being re-designated as political appointments versus “regular” jobs. The distinction would be positions involving jobs having “confidential, policy-making, policy-determining or policy-advocating” content, as opposed to straightforwardly serving the public. Prior to the change in administrations, stories were published about the practice of “burrowing” (especially when a change of party is involved): moving political appointees into federal employment positions so they would be in a position to be the “resistance” to the new administration while being protected from termination by federal employment regulations. This new categorization would help to limit that practice.