Trump administration proposes limiting federal workers' right to appeal firings to independent board

The Trump administration's Office of Personnel Management released a government plan that would restrict fired federal employees from appealing their dismissals to an independent review board, instead requiring appeals directly to the OPM, which reports to the president. The proposal, published in the Federal Register, would apply to employees furloughed more than 30 days, separated, or demoted through reduction-in-force actions. This change is part of a broader effort to strip job protections from approximately 50,000 senior career federal employees by reclassifying them into 'at-will' positions, making it significantly easier for the administration to remove or discipline career civil servants without independent oversight. The move represents a major overhaul of the civil service system and has raised concerns about politicizing the federal workforce. The proposal is expected to face legal challenges from federal employee unions and civil service advocates who argue it violates e...

"The proposal would restrict fired federal employees from appealing their dismissals to an independent review board, instead requiring appeals directly to the OPM, which reports to the president." — Description of the proposed rule change published in the Federal Register that would eliminate independent oversight of federal employee dismissals