The Trump administration is preparing a sweeping overhaul of federal employment rules that would make it significantly easier to discipline—and potentially fire—career officials in senior government positions, intensifying President Donald Trump’s long-running campaign against what he describes as a hostile “deep state.”
According to a Wall Street Journal exclusive, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is set to issue a final rule creating a new employment category for high-ranking career officials whose roles involve shaping or executing administration policy. Roughly 50,000 federal workers could fall under the change, losing long-standing civil-service protections that have made dismissals difficult for decades.
Under the new framework, affected employees would no longer be able to appeal firings or disciplinary actions to an independent civil-service board. OPM officials say the rule targets positions that are policy-determining, policymaking, or policy-advocating in nature, aligning accountability more closely with presidential authority.
The move is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to overhaul federal agencies, shrink the bureaucracy, and root out internal resistance. Senior political appointees argue entrenched officials have actively obstructed Trump’s agenda, fueling the president’s claim that unelected bureaucrats have undermined democratic governance.
OPM Director Scott Kupor said the rule is designed to address what officials view as deliberate obstruction inside government agencies. He warned that “conscientious objection” crosses a line when it becomes sabotage or an effort to thwart lawful policy objectives, adding that such conduct would no longer be shielded by civil-service rules.
Federal unions and watchdog groups strongly oppose the change, warning it could be used to purge career employees over political disagreements. Several organizations have already filed lawsuits, arguing the rule violates federal laws enacted after the 1970s to insulate civil servants from partisan retaliation.
Administration officials counter that employees will not be disciplined based on party affiliation or voting history and say whistleblower protections will remain intact. They also stress the rule is not intended to trigger mass layoffs but to enforce merit-based service and constitutional loyalty.
The final rule follows through on an executive order Trump signed on the first day of his second term, reviving reforms he briefly implemented at the end of his first presidency before they were rescinded by President Joe Biden. Once the rule is finalized, Trump is expected to issue a new executive order formally placing specific senior positions into the new category—marking one of the most consequential civil-service shake-ups in generations and a defining front in his renewed war on the deep state.
