Statement of the Working Group to Protect and Reform the US Civil Service

A group of non-partisan experts and scholars convened a workshop at the National Academy of Public Administration to discuss “Protecting and Reforming the US Civil Service.”  This question has become urgent in light of plans, such as those outlined in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, to revive the executive order issued at the end of the Trump administration to create a new “Schedule F.”  The latter would reclassify large numbers of federal employees from positions with longstanding civil service protections that undergird their objectivity in advising political leaders about policy options based on evidence.  Schedule F would convert those positions to “at-will” status, meaning that employees could be hired or fired based on political loyalty rather than competence or expertise   This would likely have negative effects on the quality of American government by opening the door to politicization and patronage throughout the federal workforce. 

We believe that there is an alternative vision for a future and more effective federal workforce that serves the nation.  This vision includes:

1. Agility.  The federal government must have the ability to adapt quickly to the challenges posed by relentless technological, economic, and social change.   A government pay and classification system designed 75 years ago when most federal employees were clerks will not meet the challenges  like artificial intelligence and a complex globalized economy.

2. Accountability.  While federal employees’ loyalty to the Constitution and the rule of law is paramount in providing expert guidance,  they must be responsive to the lawful policy direction of elected officials and their political appointees. Our system of civil service must continue to reflect these long-standing principles.  

3. Collaboration.  Federal workers must draw on the skills, knowledge and assistance that exist across  government, in the private sector, universities, and other places where knowledge is being generated.  The federal government needs greater encouragement as it seeks to draw on diverse skills, and in rewarding those who excel.  

4. Outcomes.  The federal workforce must be driven by the desire  to produce real-world outcomes that the public values, and that go beyond simple compliance with existing rules.  The procedural complexity of government operations today absorbs federal employees’ time and energy, saps creativity, innovation and necessary risk-taking, while creating frustration and increasing cynicism on the part of citizens.  Where possible, simplicity and results should replace complexity both inside the government and in its dealings with the public.

5. Capacity.  Federal workers will not be able to deliver on their agencies’ missions and serve the American public without the proper skills, training, and education.  Federal workers need training not just in narrow specializations, but in leadership and management skills necessary in a hi-tech and boundary-spanning environment.  Congress and the Administration must secure the resources and tools necessary to recruit, hire, train, and retain a highly-skilled workforce.

We believe that the proposed revival of  Schedule F will not assist  an Administration to lawfully and effectively execute its policies, or  help meet the forward-looking goals enumerated above, and in fact would dangerously undermine them.  Government workers will not take justified risks or innovate if they  feel they are being judged on the basis of political loyalty rather than results.  In the coming weeks and months, our group will elaborate how the federal government must evolve in order to meet these challenges and truly become a government of the 21st century.