Yesterday the OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) announced that it had received a notice of proposed rulemaking from the Office of Personnel Management on “Reduction in Force”.
According to the listing for this rulemaking in the Spring 2025 Unified Agenda:
“The Office of Personnel Management is proposing to modify the regulations for reduction in force (RIF) to amend the retention factors to prioritize performance over length of service when determining which employees will be retained in a RIF and streamline the RIF process.”
The current civil service program was specifically designed to prevent federal jobs from being part of a political patronage system. While recognizing that above a certain level, management of the federal bureaucracy is political in nature (and thus requiring presidential appointment), most federal jobs require some level of practical expertise and experience to fairly and efficiently operate and oversee federal programs. Those jobs should not be subject to political litmus tests that change with every change in administration.
While I am sure that the folks at the Heritage Foundation have done an admirable job of cloaking their intent to rid the swamp of any liberal employees in language that would appear to be purely focused on efficiency and efficacy, the brief history of this administration makes it clear that ‘performance’ in the 47th Administration means fealty to, and adoration of, the royal executive. That makes this rulemaking suspect at best.
This rulemaking is outside of the typical scope of coverage
of this blog, so I will probably not devote any significant coverage to it, but
I will certainly mention its publication in the appropriate Short Takes post.
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