Full Breakdown
State Department Expands Push to Reclassify Employees Under Schedule Policy/Career
8/14/2026, 1:12:19 AM
Background and Scope of the Designation
The Trump administration’s June executive order re-classified roughly 8,000 federal workers into the Schedule Policy/Career (Schedule P/C) category—a revival of the former Schedule F model. Schedule P/C makes employees at-will, removes merit-system appeal rights, and shifts whistleblower investigations to the employing agency.
Official Statements on Purpose and Scope
The same official noted that 97 % of employees already placed in Schedule P/C are at the GS-15 level or higher, and that only a “small number” of GS-13 and GS-14 positions—primarily at the Office of Management and Budget—have been converted.
Anticipated Workforce Effects
One employee warned that conversion to an at-will status could make staff “more carefully tailor” their public statements, potentially reducing candid policy advice. A second employee described the process as “moving relatively fast” but noted that the impact on the broader workforce has not yet been fully felt.
Data and Statistics
- Executive order (June): ~8,000 federal employees initially re-classified.
- OPM estimate: up to 50,000 employees could be eligible for Schedule P/C.
- Senior official: 97 % of current Schedule P/C employees are GS-15 or higher; only a few GS-13/14 positions have been converted.
- Sample termination notice provided by OPM cites “unacceptable performance or misconduct” as permissible grounds.
The State Department’s expanded review signals that the administration expects additional senior policy staff to be placed under Schedule P/C, a move that could reshape how career officials engage with policy formulation and internal dissent.
