The Office of Personnel Management has implemented a new rule to enhance job protections for government employees, making it more challenging to terminate their employment. This rule, issued by the Biden administration, aims to counter former President Trump’s efforts to dismiss “rogue bureaucrats” and reshape the federal workforce. The rule, released on April 4 by OPM, is designed to prevent potential future executive orders that could reclassify civil servants. It ensures that job protections acquired by federal employees cannot be revoked if they are moved from the competitive service to the excepted service. The rule also clarifies that certain classifications only apply to non-career and political appointments, not career civil servants. These changes, outlined in a nearly 240-page document, are set to take effect next month to safeguard the rights and job security of government workers.
Specifically, it establishes a process for federal employees to appeal when they are involuntarily moved and lose their civil service protections.
âThis final rule is a result of the Biden-Harris Administrationâs ongoing efforts to enhance federal agencies and the federal workforce,â stated Rob Shriver, Deputy Director of OMP.
The agency has carefully reviewed more than 4,000 comments received during the public comment period as part of the rulemaking process.
