Trump to expand his control over federal workers

The Trump administration finalizes a historic civil service overhaul, granting the president authority to hire and fire up to 50,000 federal employees.

Courtney Rozen/Reuters

February 5, 2026

Trump to expand his control over federal workers

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 5, 2026.

Al Drago/Reuters

The Trump administration on Thursday finalized its overhaul of the U.S. government's civil service system, according to a government statement, giving the president the power to hire and fire an estimated 50,000 career federal employees.

The overhaul, released by the Office of Personnel Management, fulfills a campaign promise for the president to strip job protections from federal workers that his team deems to be "influencing" government policy. It is the biggest change to the rules governing the civil service in more than a century. President Donald Trump called the overhaul "Schedule F" during his first administration.

Trump will have the power to select which government positions will lose their job protections, according to the statement.

-Reporting by Courtney Rozen; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama/Reuters