President Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday that strips job protections from approximately 8,000 senior federal workers earning up to nearly $200,000 annually. The order creates a new employment classification for workers deemed to be "influencing" government policy, moving them into at-will positions where they can be dismissed more easily.
The move eliminates civil service protections that typically insulate career federal employees from removal. This represents a renewed push by the Trump administration to restructure the federal workforce, following a similar attempt during his first term known as Schedule F.