Donald Trump has signed an executive order making it easier to fire thousands of the best-paid workers in the US government, as part of a broader drive to overhaul the federal workforce. The order, released by the White House and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on Wednesday, strips job protections from about 8,000 senior federal employees earning up to nearly $200,000 a year, who are deemed to be 'influencing' government policy.
Scott Kupor, director of the OPM, said the administration needs people willing to carry out orders to achieve its policy priorities. 'You can have any political views, but if you allow those views to basically interfere with your willingness to actually carry out lawful orders and policy directives with the administration, then this provides a mechanism for people in those agencies to be removed effectively at will,' he said.
About 348,000 employees – over 11% of the federal workforce – have left since October 2024. The order marks Trump's continued effort to discipline career employees he sees as undermining his goals, a year after Elon Musk left his post overseeing cuts to government spending and payrolls.
Labour union leaders have criticised the move, calling it a step back to the 19th-century spoils system. 'This is a blatant attempt to corrupt the federal government by eliminating employees’ due process rights so they can be fired for political reasons,' said Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees.
The number of affected workers is below a previous estimate of up to 50,000. Senior administration officials said Trump could expand the grouping but has no immediate plans to do so. A lawsuit filed by Democracy Forward and federal worker unions is ongoing, with federal judges pausing litigation while the administration finalises changes.
