Schedule F – The White House on Wednesday moved to strip civil service protections from about 8,000 federal workers, including many at public health agencies, by reclassifying their roles under a revamped “Schedule Policy/Career” framework that makes them easier to fire wi
For many federal scientists. the routine of public health work depends on something most workers never have to think about: whether they can be punished for doing the job. On Wednesday, that stability was shaken. The White House moved to strip civil service protections from about 8,000 federal workers, including many working at public health agencies.
The executive order effectively transforms these positions—roles that can include “epidemiologist. ” “health scientist. ” and “toxicologist”—into “at-will” positions. meaning they can be readily fired without cause. The job category, initially called Schedule F and now renamed Schedule Policy/Career, removes protections designed to prevent political interference.
The directive draws a direct line between personnel decisions and the presidency’s freedom to steer policy. According to the order. “policy-influencing positions” must be transferred to the new status so that “ensuring that such employees can be removed for misconduct or poor performance is essential to protecting democratic self-government by an elected President.”.
President Donald Trump’s motivation has been a steady theme of his political life. The move reflects his long-standing complaint about a “deep state” of federal workers resistant to his policies. For years. he has pushed for the schedule change as a way to fire civil servants he has described as impediments to his agenda.
In practice, the shift has alarmed people who say the new reach could extend beyond pure political work. The new category is not limited to roles clearly tied to policy output; it also includes jobs that don’t involve policy work. including “human resources officer. ” “customer experience specialist. ” and “data management specialist. ” as well as for some scientist roles. Legal challenges are already in motion: the move “faces at least three legal challenges from federal employees.”.
The administration has tried to calm fears about political screening. The political loyalty questionnaire—instituted for new federal hires in 2025—has already put new hires under a new kind of pressure. And on Wednesday, U.S. Office of Personnel Management official Scott Kupor said the new directive would not lead to a political “litmus test” for civil servants. according to Government Executive.
The concern among scientists, meanwhile, has been immediate and personal. “Just what I wanted for health scientists at the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. fewer employment protections!” legal writer Chris Geidner posted on BlueSky. Mark Histed. a National Institutes of Health neuroscientist who has been critical of the administration. also voiced concern on social media. saying that certain jobs at science agencies—including officials overseeing peer review of scientific grant proposals—may be affected by the order.
An internal contradiction sits at the center of the backlash: the order is framed as necessary for protecting elected control over “policy-influencing positions. ” but its described scope includes roles that may not be about policy at all. and it reaches into federal science functions where decisions about evidence. grants. and risk depend on stable independence.
Where the situation stands now is complicated by the fact that the story is still unfolding. An editor’s note dated 6/3/2026 says the coverage is in development and may be updated.
White House Schedule F Schedule Policy/Career at-will civil service protections epidemiologist health scientist toxicologist public health agencies Donald Trump deep state legal challenges political loyalty questionnaire Office of Personnel Management Scott Kupor Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry National Institutes of Health peer review grant proposals
So they can just fire scientists? That seems messed up.
I saw this headline and I’m like… isn’t that what every politician claims they need, to stop “deep state” people. But if it’s at-will then nobody’s safe. Prob won’t affect anything as long as the labs do their jobs, right?
They renamed it Schedule Policy/Career and I’m guessing that means “new rules” but also “same thing.” Human resources officer?? That part makes no sense to me. Like how is customer experience connected to public health agencies? Sounds like they’re sweeping a whole bunch of people so they can punish anyone who questions leadership.
This is the kind of thing that makes me think the gov wants to control the data. Once you can fire a toxicologist for “poor performance” then suddenly everyone is gonna shade results. And deep state people?? Come on, it’s not like scientists are running the presidency. Also doesn’t this mess up HIPAA or something? Idk just feels like a power grab.