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April 15, 2025

OPM creates Schedule P for permanent political embedding

Congressional Research Service
ourpublicservice.org
AFGE (Federal Employees Union)
www.apsanet.org
www.federaltimes.com
+7

Broader political appointee track embeds partisan loyalists beyond administration changes

The Trump administration announced the creation of the Schedule P federal employee category on Apr. 15, 2025 (White House Schedule P Fact Sheet, Q1)

The administration plans to establish 15,000 Schedule P positions within federal agencies (Federal Times Schedule P Implementation Timeline, Q6)

Schedule P employees continue serving across administration changes, creating a permanent political class within the federal bureaucracy (Partnership for Public Service Schedule P Analysis, Q5)

📋Public Policy🏛️Government

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People, bills, and sources

Donald J. Trump (President)

unveiled the Schedule P federal workforce modernization fact sheet on Apr. 15, 2025 (White House Schedule P Fact Sheet)

What you can do

1

Download and review the Apr. 15, 2025 Schedule P fact sheet at https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2025/04/15/schedule-p-federal-workforce-modernization/ to confirm the policy’s scope and definitions

2

Consult the OPM Schedule P implementation guidelines at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/schedule-p-implementation/ to identify which job categories are newly classified under Schedule P

3

Access the Government Accountability Office report GAO-25-104521 at https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-25-104521 to examine how Schedule P appointees may influence regulatory enforcement across federal agencies