Trump accelerates push to reward loyalty in federal workforce

[Zorro]

Many critics say the administration is scrapping a nonpartisan, merit-based civil service in favor of a biased, politicized system.

President Donald Trump is accelerating efforts to transform the federal workforce from a nonpartisan, merit-based civil service to a system that values loyalty to the president and to push policies that allow the administration to more easily dismiss career employees, according to federal workers, public service experts and employment attorneys.

The ongoing shift would erase decades of precedent in which federal hiring, retention and promotion are designed to be based largely on skills and experience, the workers, experts and attorneys say.

The House-passed budget proposal under consideration in the Senate would give new federal workers an ultimatum to accept “at-will” status — meaning they could be more easily fired — or pay a higher retirement contribution. The administration also unveiled a plan to require job applicants to write short essays describing how they plan to advance Trump’s priorities. And Trump has revived his previous efforts to reclassify thousands of federal employees and blur the line between political appointees and career professionals.

“These employees could be replaced with partisan loyalists — people who will obey any order, regardless of the Constitution,” said Joe Spielberger, senior policy counsel at the Project on Government Oversight. “This elevates loyalty to an individual president over the oath of office and the best interests of the public.”

https://wapo.st/4l7nGiY

He is turning OUR government into HIS criminal enterprise, aided and abetted by the entire Republican party.