President Donald Trump’s desire to bend federal workers to his will could squeeze the government’s most seasoned executives.
On Monday, amid a flurry of other actions, Trump explicitly injected more politics into the Senior Executive Service. His appointees will now control the reassembled boards that select these elite public employees. Leaking information or resisting his policies are itemized as firing offenses.
Trump describes the policies affecting the 8,000-plus members of the SES as a means of ensuring the government’s most experienced employees are “optimally aligned to implement my agenda.”
“If career SES officials fail to faithfully fulfill their duties to advance the needs, policies, and goals of the United States, the president must be able to rectify the situation,” a White House memorandum states.
