Connolly-Fitzpatrick bill targets Schedule F in bipartisan pushback

President Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20, 2025, reinstating Schedule F (now called Schedule Policy/Career) that strips civil service protections from federal employees in policy-influencing positions.

The policy potentially affects 50,000+ federal employees and could reach hundreds of thousands depending on how broadly agencies interpret policy-influencing roles.

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) introduced the bipartisan Saving the Civil Service Act to block Schedule F implementation and protect merit-based hiring.

Federal employee unions including the American Federation of Government Employees filed lawsuits challenging Trump's authority to eliminate civil service protections without congressional approval.

Schedule F makes affected employees at-will workers who can be dismissed for nearly any reason, removing traditional due process protections that have existed for over a century.

The policy affects workers across all federal agencies including those who process Social Security claims, inspect food safety, manage air traffic control, and coordinate veterans medical care.

Trump's 2020 Schedule F order went largely unimplemented before Biden rescinded it, but the new version comes with full implementation plans and agency guidance.