The Trump administration has rolled out a new rule with the aim of making it easier to terminate federal employees for serious misconduct by cutting through the red tape that hinders the process.
“The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is proposing amendments to the Federal Government personnel vetting adjudicative processes for determining suitability and taking suitability actions,” the rule, which went live for public comment on Monday morning, states.
Fox News reports:
“The purpose of the proposed rule is to improve the efficiency, rigor and timeliness by which OPM and agencies vet individuals for risk to the integrity and efficiency of the service, and to make clear that individuals who engage in serious misconduct while employed in Federal service are subject to the same suitability procedures and actions as applicants for employment.”
OPM says its new rule is part of President Trump’s “Implementing the Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative” as well as the Presidential Memorandum, “Strengthening the Suitability and Fitness of the Federal Workforce.”
OPM explains that the new rule will allow the federal government to take action against employees who engage in misconduct after being hired, giving agencies “broader authority” to “flag conduct” including tax evasion, leaking of sensitive information, and other behavior “inconsistent with the public trust.”
“For too long, agencies have faced red tape when trying to remove employees who break the public’s trust,” OPM’s Acting Director, Chuck Ezell, told Fox News Digital.
In 2023, Fox News Digital reported that under current law, the vast majority of the federal workforce is not at-will and may only be terminated for misconduct, poor performance, medical inability and reduction in force. Federal employees are also entitled to sweeping due process rights when fired which can create a cumbersome process for agencies to remove a worker.
Over the past few months, DOGE has cut nearly $175 billion in savings from slashing government contracts, selling assets, identifying improper payments, and other cost-cutting measures amounts to $1,086.96 per each individual taxpayer, according to the DOGE website.
The cuts took place all across the government, highlighted by a complete dismantling of USAID, where 83% of the agency’s programs and 5,200 contracts were canceled following the conclusion of a six-week review by DOGE.
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Amen! Govt workers need to be accountable, just like those in the Real World.