Biden can immediately reverse three Trump executive orders from 2018 that sharply curtailed the ability of organized labor to represent employees, including those who are not union members, and allowed agencies to fire feds faster.
Two other orders from 2020 created a new workforce category, Schedule F, without civil service protections, which would allow those employees to be fired for political reasons. Another directive halted many essential elements of diversity and inclusion training provided by agencies, including those covering institutional and unconscious sexism and racism.
Trump’s legacy is that of “one of the most wretched in the history of the civil service and the federal government,” said Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), the chairman of the House government operations subcommittee whose district includes thousands of federal employees. “I mean, very hostile.” That includes attempts to inappropriately politicize agencies and leaving vacant some positions at agencies serving the workforce, while filling other slots with union-busting appointees.
