Schedule F and career SES EOs

[Anonymous]

Most of the agencies I have worked at the SES have been highly professional. But at one agency some of them were mini-Democrat party apparatchiks. One of them told me back in 2018, "We won't do a single thing Trump orders." SES like that give all of them a bad name.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most of the agencies I have worked at the SES have been highly professional. But at one agency some of them were mini-Democrat party apparatchiks. One of them told me back in 2018, "We won't do a single thing Trump orders." SES like that give all of them a bad name.

Yes, because they take an oath not to violate the law and constitution. Also, if what you describe is so awful, why is it acceptable for Trump to appoint actual apparatchiks in their place? I thought politicization was bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would bet they’re going to start moving SES staff around. They did this to one of our office directors last time, he worked in a different location and they moved him to DC, expecting him to retire instead of relocating.
Taking people off of areas they know and assigning them elsewhere is another way to disrupt progress and destroy institutional knowledge.

This. The plan is to move SES to other offices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s the timeline for a random SES to be gone?

If you’re bad at your job you should be gone in under a month.

So you have no idea. Thanks

f) Any agency head who becomes aware of an SES official whose performance or continued occupancy of the position is inconsistent with either the principles reaffirmed in this Order or their duties to the Nation under section 3131 of title 5, United States Code, shall immediately take all appropriate actions, up to and including removal of that official, with the support of OPM and OMB. Restoring an accountable government workforce is a top priority of my Administration.

What do you think those “principles” are?

SES is fine as long as they never donated to a Democratic candidate like Biden or Harris. Principles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would bet they’re going to start moving SES staff around. They did this to one of our office directors last time, he worked in a different location and they moved him to DC, expecting him to retire instead of relocating.
Taking people off of areas they know and assigning them elsewhere is another way to disrupt progress and destroy institutional knowledge.

They did that to ours too, but didn't need an EO for it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the agencies I have worked at the SES have been highly professional. But at one agency some of them were mini-Democrat party apparatchiks. One of them told me back in 2018, "We won't do a single thing Trump orders." SES like that give all of them a bad name.

Yes, because they take an oath not to violate the law and constitution. Also, if what you describe is so awful, why is it acceptable for Trump to appoint actual apparatchiks in their place? I thought politicization was bad.

DP. Political appointees are gone at the end of any administration so big difference versus career folks taking sides

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They are also allowing an “unlimited” number of temporary transition political positions. This is not what normally happens.

https://chcoc.gov/sites/default/files/Memo%20Lifting%20Caps%20on%20TTCs%201-20-2025.pdf

and "temporary" will be indefinite...until Trump's team finds the permanent person they want or until they're out of office. This is a way for them to put in place whoever they want without having to have them approved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes; it’s back.

Schedule F: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/restoring-accountability-to-policy-influencing-positions-within-the-federal-workforce/

New EO on career SES:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/restoring-accountability-for-career-senior-executives/

F does not seem problematic, what am I missing?
Employees in or applicants for Schedule Policy/Career positions are not required to personally or politically support the current President or the policies of the current administration. They are required to faithfully implement administration policies to the best of their ability, consistent with their constitutional oath and the vesting of executive authority solely in the President. Failure to do so is grounds for dismissal.”

Leaves it up to interpretation by the President and his little cohorts whether the employee is implementing Trump's policies. If intelligence officers make a report that does not support the action the president wants to take, are they "faithfully implement(ing) administration policies to the best of their ability....?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would bet they’re going to start moving SES staff around. They did this to one of our office directors last time, he worked in a different location and they moved him to DC, expecting him to retire instead of relocating.
Taking people off of areas they know and assigning them elsewhere is another way to disrupt progress and destroy institutional knowledge.

They did that to ours too, but didn't need an EO for it.

SES can be assigned wherever they determine they are needed. Just like military personnel.

[Anonymous]

I read it to mean that political appointees are now going to be the majority in any SES review board. So, they will most definitely fire you if you push back on anything the current administration wants to do. It's a great way to muffle any dissent. ANY dissent will get you fired even if you are reading the law or the agency mission in a way that IS lawful and IS in the best interests of the American people or the mission of the agency.

My DH is an SL -- which is treated just like an SES. He would hate to lose his job, but we are financially prepared for it if he does.

The foxes are in charge of the hen house now -- all across the government.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the agencies I have worked at the SES have been highly professional. But at one agency some of them were mini-Democrat party apparatchiks. One of them told me back in 2018, "We won't do a single thing Trump orders." SES like that give all of them a bad name.

Yes, because they take an oath not to violate the law and constitution. Also, if what you describe is so awful, why is it acceptable for Trump to appoint actual apparatchiks in their place? I thought politicization was bad.

DP. Political appointees are gone at the end of any administration so big difference versus career folks taking sides

Read the EO. They are reforming the bodies that help select career SES to now require a majority of members be political appointees. This allows politicals to select whomever they want for every career slot. The boards that handle SES performance evals will also be majority staffed by politicals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most of the agencies I have worked at the SES have been highly professional. But at one agency some of them were mini-Democrat party apparatchiks. One of them told me back in 2018, "We won't do a single thing Trump orders." SES like that give all of them a bad name.

Oh are we telling anecdotes? Because I have PLENTY of those from Republican appointees under W and Trump.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the agencies I have worked at the SES have been highly professional. But at one agency some of them were mini-Democrat party apparatchiks. One of them told me back in 2018, "We won't do a single thing Trump orders." SES like that give all of them a bad name.

Oh are we telling anecdotes? Because I have PLENTY of those from Republican appointees under W and Trump.

This was a career SES, not a political appointee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of the agencies I have worked at the SES have been highly professional. But at one agency some of them were mini-Democrat party apparatchiks. One of them told me back in 2018, "We won't do a single thing Trump orders." SES like that give all of them a bad name.

Oh are we telling anecdotes? Because I have PLENTY of those from Republican appointees under W and Trump.

This was a career SES, not a political appointee.

Your only anecdote was a person saying they wouldn’t do a single thing Trump orders. No context for what this means. For all we know, you work at DHS and this was about putting kids in cages.

[Anonymous]

I bet the Trumpers will be thrilled when Dems eventually use this to their advantage someday.