OPM Schedule F rule removes civil service protections from thousands of federal employees, allowing at-will termination

OPM published the final Schedule Policy/Career rule on Feb. 6, 2026. It takes effect March 8. The rule establishes a new employment category within the federal government's excepted service for workers in 'policy-influencing' roles, stripping them of longstanding civil service protectionsCivil Service ProtectionsLegal protections preventing career federal employees from being fired for political reasons.Key ConceptCivil Service ProtectionsLegal protections preventing career federal employees from being fired for political reasons.Open conceptBookmark and making them at-will employees.

OPM estimates approximately 50,000 federal employees will be affected. Reclassified workers lose the right to appeal suspensions, demotions, or firings to the Merit Systems Protection BoardMerit Systems Protection BoardAn independent federal agency that hears appeals from federal employees who are fired, demoted, or disciplined.Key ConceptMerit Systems Protection BoardAn independent federal agency that hears appeals from federal employees who are fired, demoted, or disciplined.Open conceptBookmark. They also lose access to pay incentives, student loan repayment benefits, and Presidential Rank Awards.

The rule received over 40,500 public comments during a 45-day comment period. About 94% opposed the rule. OPM's final rule, more than 250 pages long, addressed thousands of comments from unions, nonprofits, Democratic lawmakers, and individual federal employees who said it would politicize the civil service.

OPM Director Scott Kupor told reporters the rule is not about political appointments or loyalty tests and that agencies are 'inundated' with misconduct and poor performance by civil servants that can't be addressed under current rules. 'You can't run an organization if people are refusing to carry out lawful objectives,' he said.

The rule also changes how whistleblower retaliation complaints are investigated. Under the new rule, individual agencies will set up their own internal investigation processes — replacing the independent Office of Special CounselOffice of Special CounselAn independent federal agency that investigates whistleblower retaliation and prohibited personnel practices.Key ConceptOffice of Special CounselAn independent federal agency that investigates whistleblower retaliation and prohibited personnel practices.Open conceptBookmark, which has historically handled those complaints. Critics say this eliminates the independence that gave whistleblower protections meaning.

Schedule Policy/Career won't automatically convert any positions. Agencies have 30 days to compile lists of qualifying roles, which go to OPM, which sends recommendations to the president. Trump will issue a new executive order formally reclassifying the approved positions. OPM told agencies not to wait for the executive order to begin preparing internal policies.

Congress can block Schedule Policy/Career through a Congressional Review ActCongressional Review Act1996 law letting Congress overturn federal agency regulations with a simple majority vote.Key ConceptCongressional Review Act1996 law letting Congress overturn federal agency regulations with a simple majority vote.Open conceptBookmark resolution, which requires a simple majority in both chambers. AFGE, Democracy Forward, and other organizations have filed or announced lawsuits. The Biden administration's April 2024 regulations that specifically protected career employees from reclassification were also rescinded by OPM's final rule.