Donald Trump · Republican · Executive Order
Schedule F: Reclassifying Federal Employees (EO 13957)
Oct 21, 2020
Donald TrumpGovernment & WorkforceExecutive OrderEO 13957First term (2017–21)
📜 View the official record — Executive Order 13957 on federalregister.gov
What happened
Created a new 'Schedule F' in the excepted service stripping civil-service protections from policy-related federal positions, making them easier to dismiss. Rescinded by Biden in 2021 and revived in Trump's second term.
How it happened
Issued by executive order in the final months of the first term; never fully implemented before the change of administration.
Documented impact
Positive impactcontested
Supporters argued it increases accountability of the bureaucracy.
Proponents said it lets elected leaders remove underperforming or obstructive officials.
Negative impactcontested
Critics warned it politicizes the civil service.
Unions and good-government groups said it could enable patronage and erode merit-based protections for tens of thousands of workers.
Sources
Every claim above links to its source. Primary record and cited reporting: