Long-serving federal employees could soon lose protections against layoffs as the Trump administration tightens its grip on the civil service.
The Office of Personnel Management will issue a proposed rule that will prioritize performance over tenure when picking government workers to be retained in a reduction in force, or RIF. The regulation is slated to be published in the Federal Register on Thursday, a public notice said.
Critics of the proposal have warned it could benefit federal employees deemed politically loyal to the administration during layoffs, which have been frequent over the past year.
OPM said in its rule that current regulations give greater weight to length of service rather than performance ratings, leading to top performers losing their jobs while more senior employees with lower marks stay on.
