A group of Senate Democrats today pushed to pass a bill that would block the incoming Trump administration from enacting a new Schedule F classification for Federal employees, but ultimately failed in that effort as the motion was shot down by Republicans on the Senate floor.
Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., offered remarks on the Senate floor and Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., called for a unanimous consent agreement to pass the Saving the Civil Service Act. The motion was immediately blocked by Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.
The Saving the Civil Service Act was first introduced in February by Sen. Kaine and in the House by Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va. The bill would “protect the federal workforce from politicization and political manipulation” by preventing wholesale reclassifications of Federal employees without the consent of lawmakers.
Current law allows presidents to make about 4,000 political appointments, and about 1,200 of those are subject to Senate confirmation. The Schedule F order by the former Trump administration would have increased the number of political appointments to 50,000.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) published a final rule in April 2024 confirming protections for career civil servants – and making it more difficult for a future administration to reapproach a Schedule F-type arrangement.
However, President-elect Trump has pledged to reissue an order implementing the Schedule F classification “on day one” of his next administration.
As the Trump administration prepares to take office on Jan. 20, government experts said this week that they expect to see an executive order from President-elect Donald Trump related to Schedule F in his first week.
“Running government requires people who are duty bound to enforce the laws enacted by Congress and to obey the lawful orders of the president, all subject to the overriding duty to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, but we swear fealty to that constitution, not to a person,” Sen. Kaine said today on the Senate floor.
“Having a dedicated civil service based on merit rather than political loyalties is in the best interest of everyone,” Sen. Kaine said. “It not only promotes professionalism and reduces cronyism, it also promotes stability.”
During his objection to the motion, Sen. Schmitt said, “This bill, what it does, it blatantly infringes upon executive prerogative to shape the executive workforce … There is no secret that President Trump ran on greater government efficiency in reducing the size of government. This is another effort to Trump-proof.”
During a press conference ahead of the vote on the Senate floor, Sen. Kaine said he is “setting the groundwork for continuing this battle.”
“Yes, it might look a little challenging coming up on a Congress where there are two Republican houses … but this legislation is the next step, and we’re going to keep trying till we get there,” the senator said.
