Biden creates noncompetitive federal hiring path for full-time AmeriCorps alumni

President Joe Biden signed an executive order on January 16, 2025, allowing federal agencies to appoint qualified alumni of full-time AmeriCorps programs to competitive-service jobs without going through the ordinary competitive hiring process. The order relied on 5 U.S.C. 3301 and 3302 and directed the AmeriCorps CEO to certify eligible alumni who satisfactorily completed qualifying full-time AmeriCorps service. The policy aimed to retain people with national-service training in the federal workforce and broaden the pool of merit-based candidates. The action mattered because it created a new hiring pathway that could affect agency recruitment, civil-service access, and how national-service experience translates into federal employment.