Trump Reclassifies ~8,000 Senior Policy Officials as At-Will Employees, Expanding Presidential Accountability Over Federal Workforce

President Trump signed an executive order on June 3, 2026, reclassifying an estimated 8,000 federal workers as at-will employees who can be dismissed without stated cause. NPR reported the order was published the same day. Nearly all of the affected positions are at the GS-15 level.

They include leaders of policy offices and their chiefs of staff, heads of regional offices, program managers, senior public affairs officers, and officials who oversee spending and grants. The Office of Personnel Management had originally estimated that some 50,000 positions could be reclassified. The Trump administration has not ruled out expanding the pool at a later time.

The federal government currently has about 4,000 political appointees who serve at the pleasure of the president. The rest of the approximately 2 million-person workforce could previously be removed only for specific reasons such as inadequate performance or misconduct, and employees retained formal appeal rights.

In February 2026 the administration finalized a rule creating a new category of at-will employees called Schedule Policy/Career.

The category was known as Schedule F during President Trump’s first term. The rule faced multiple lawsuits before the June 3 executive order took effect. Reclassified employees no longer have appeal rights.

Under federal law they cannot be fired on the basis of political affiliation, though enforcement rests with individual agencies. ” He added that it represents “a restoration, in our mind, of the democratic process,” because the president is the elected leader of the executive branch and employees who implement policy must carry out presidential directives.

” He said no loyalty tests will be used and that the employees will retain whistleblower protections.