Federal Managers Association

Opinions & Editorials

• Schedule F 2.0...can it be that bad? - November 22, 2024

• "Is it the 'end of democracy as we know it' bad?" asks one former federal official.

  Ronald Sanders, Government Executive

  Most civil servants are worried about what the Trump administration is going to do with respect to a new (and potentially improved) Schedule F, especially as its appointees and associates attempt to ‘deconstruct’ the administrative state.

  Well, I’m here to tell you that Schedule F "the sequel," is coming. It’s inevitable. I can’t tell you whether it’s coming right away—that is, on Inauguration Day or the day after—or six months from now, after the While House has undone the speed bump the Office of Personnel Management put in its way. But it’s coming, and soon, to a theater near you!

  However, whether that’s good or bad depends on two things: 1. how it’s going to be implemented; and 2. where you sit in that administrative state.

  With regard to the latter, I’d worry if I were in a headline-grabbing agency, like the Education Department or the Food and Drug Administration, but even there, I’m betting that you’re going to have a chance to prove your worth to even the most draconian of rightwing reformers. However, while I know that that’s easier said than done, I’d suggest that you reach out to a good lawyer, your union or your favorite professional association, like the Senior Executives Association, or even to me, for advice on your individual case.

  To read the full article, click here.

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