Trump's Controversial Federal Workforce Shake-Up

The Trump administration plans to reclassify federal workers into a category that will make mass layoffs easier. This change, aimed at running the government more like a business, could strip job protections from many workers. The move has been widely criticized for undermining the merit-based hiring system.

The U.S. President, Donald Trump, announced a significant shift in federal employment classifications, targeting tens of thousands of workers. Governance experts warn the move could result in more mass layoffs.

This reform aims to classify career government employees involved in policy matters as 'schedule policy/career,' aligning with Trump's vision of a business-like federal government. This executive order, signed on January 20, could remove job protections for many federal employees.

Under this reclassification, hundreds of thousands of government workers could be affected, drastically increasing the number of vulnerable employees. Critics, including Everett Kelley of the American Federation of Government Employees, argue this politicizes federal jobs and undermines the merit-based system.

(With inputs from agencies.)