Thousands of federal workers would be easier to fire under Trump rule change

npr.orgPublished: 4/18/2025

Summary

The Trump administration proposes reclassifying certain federal jobs as "at-will" to make it easier to fire employees, aiming to reduce bureaucracy. This rule would target policy-influencing roles where termination could occur for poor performance or misconduct. Opponents, including the AFGE, argue this risks dismantling merit-based hiring and professional civil service standards.