On Monday, former President Donald Trump took steps to revive an initiative from his first term aimed at reshaping the federal workforce by removing employment protections for tens of thousands of civil servants.

The move centers around a proposed category of federal employees known as “Schedule F,” which would affect those involved in policymaking roles.

The Schedule F designation would strip certain federal employees of merit-based hiring and firing protections, as well as their rights to appeal adverse personnel actions.

By doing so, Trump would increase the ability to appoint loyalists to federal positions, potentially altering the structure of government operations.

Positions targeted during his previous administration ranged widely, including IT specialists, office managers, and attorneys.

Monday’s executive order from Trump does not directly reinstate Schedule F but reverses a 2021 executive order from President Joe Biden, which had nullified Trump’s original October 2020 directive establishing the category.

Biden had also implemented a formal rule during his presidency to strengthen the separation between career civil servants and political appointees.

For Trump to fully reinstate Schedule F, his administration would need to create a new rule undoing Biden’s protections and reintroducing the classification.

Trump’s renewed focus on Schedule F underscores his ongoing effort to align the federal workforce more closely with his administration’s priorities.

Critics argue that such a move could politicize the civil service and weaken its efficiency.

During the presidential campaign, federal employees expressed concerns that the fear of politically motivated firings could lead to slower decision-making and hamper government operations.

“In the hands of a president who is not committed to democratic norms, taking control of the bureaucracy is a tried and tested way to work toward authoritarian government,” Donald Moynihan, a public policy professor at Georgetown University, told HuffPost in June.

The potential implications of Schedule F go beyond individual employees, signaling a broader shift in the balance of power within the federal government.

By eliminating employment protections for policymaking roles, the president could exert greater influence over the executive branch, raising concerns among scholars and civil servants alike.

The executive order issued Monday is part of a broader set of directives expected to impact the federal workforce, including measures targeting unions representing government employees.

These actions align with Trump’s earlier efforts to curtail the influence of unions and increase managerial flexibility within federal agencies.

Schedule F remains a contentious issue, with supporters viewing it as a means to ensure accountability within government agencies and critics warning of its potential to undermine democratic principles.

As Trump moves forward with his plans, the debate over the role and independence of the federal workforce is likely to intensify.