House version of reconciliation bill contained Section 90002 requiring new federal employees to choose between keeping civil service protections while paying 9.4% of salary toward retirement (versus current 4.4%) or becoming at-will employees with no job protections. Senate initially proposed rates …
House RepublicansSenate RepublicansAmerican Federation of Government EmployeesPartnership for Public Serviceschedule-fcivil-service-destructionfederal-workforceloyalty-testsfinancial-coercion+2 more
OPM’s Merit Hiring Plan requires applicants at GS-05 level and above to write four 200-word essays including how they would advance Trump’s policy …
Donald Trumpwhite-houseoffice-of-personnel-managementfederal-workforceloyalty-testscivil-servicepersonnel-capturedemocratic-erosion+3 more
Stephen Miller and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem held a tense meeting at ICE headquarters demanding field offices achieve 3,000 daily arrests—triple the early administration numbers. Miller threatened to fire the bottom 10% of directors monthly if quotas weren’t met. A week later, Kenneth Genalo …
Stephen MillerKristi NoemKenneth GenaloRobert HammerICEpurgesloyalty-testsimpossible-quotasauthoritarianismcivil-service-destruction
In May 2025, the Trump administration implemented a controversial ‘Merit Hiring Plan’ requiring federal job applicants at GS-5 and above to write essays about Trump’s policies. Applicants must describe how they would advance specific executive orders, effectively creating an ideological screening …
Federal job candidates required to confirm January 6 was an ‘inside job’ and 2020 election was ‘stolen,’ with social media screening for MAGA loyalty indicators and campaign participation required for new hires.
Acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello, a 20-year ICE veteran, was removed from his position on February 21, 2025, after failing to meet deportation quotas of 3,000 daily arrests despite only achieving 1,200-1,400 per day. Vitello was reassigned to a senior enforcement role after just one month leading …
Caleb VitelloICEDonald TrumpDepartment of Homeland Securitypersonnel-purgesimpossible-quotasloyalty-testsdeportation-quotas
Loyalty testing regime implemented requiring federal job applicants to write essays explaining how they’d advance Trump’s executive orders, with social media screening for MAGA support becoming standard hiring practice.
OPMWhite House Personnel Officefederal-workforceloyalty-testspolitical-screeninghiring-practices