Connolly-Fitzpatrick bill targets Schedule F in bipartisan pushback

President Trump signed EO 14171 on January 20, 2025, reinstating Schedule F under the new name Schedule Policy/Career, which strips civil service protections from federal employees in policy-influencing positions.

The policy potentially affects 50,000–100,000 federal employees; the Partnership for Public Service estimated the original 2020 order would have affected 50,000, but the 2025 version casts a broader net.

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) — with Don Bacon (R-NE) and Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) — introduced H.R. 492, the bipartisan Saving the Civil Service Act, on January 16, 2025.

Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced the Senate companion S. 134 on the same day, calling Schedule F a blueprint for a patronage army.

Schedule Policy/Career makes affected employees at-will workers who can be fired without traditional due process protections that have existed under the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978.

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Trump's original 2020 Schedule F order (EO 13957, signed October 21, 2020) went largely unimplemented before Biden rescinded it on January 22, 2021; the 2025 version comes with full OPM implementation guidance.

H.R. 492 was referred to the House Oversight Committee after introduction and had not passed committee as of early 2025.

Federal employee unions including NTEU and AFGE filed lawsuits arguing Schedule F violates the Take-Care Clause and the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978.