In Washington, D.C., the Trump administration has introduced a new Executive Order (EO) establishing “Schedule G,” an employment category aimed at placing noncareer political appointees in high-paying senior executive roles. This development bypasses existing rules that limit political appointments in the Senior Executive Service (SES) to 10%.
Initial evaluations suggest that Schedule G is a method to direct taxpayer funds towards loyalists tasked with politicizing federal operations. The initiative reflects an inclination to allocate public funds not for strengthening civil services but for expanding a group of political loyalists, potentially consolidating power and affecting public trust in government.
The introduction of Schedule G highlights concerns about federal pay scales, which some claim lag behind the private sector by up to 27%. The key aspects of this EO include:
– Circumventing the legal 10% cap on noncareer SES across agencies.
– Allowing more political operatives to be appointed with higher salaries funded by taxpayers.
– Implicitly acknowledging that current federal pay rates are inadequate for expected responsibilities.
Randy Erwin, National President of NFFE, commented, “This isn’t just another attack on the civil service – it’s a confession. The Trump administration knows federal civil service pay has been insufficient for several decades. Instead of raising wages for real public servants who serve the country with integrity, they’ve created Schedule G to reward political loyalists monetarily to assist in corrupting the government. This is yet another shameful display of President Trump’s efforts to undermine the federal workforce and American democracy.”
