1. United States
2. Iowa
3. Letter

The recent executive orders from President Trump pose a significant threat to the federal workforce and undermine the core principles of a nonpartisan, merit-based civil service that has served our nation well for over a century. These orders open the door to politicizing the federal workforce, eroding constitutional protections, and disrupting critical government operations that serve the American people. Schedule F would strip away merit system protections, allowing federal employees to be hired and fired based on political affiliation rather than merit. This threatens individual liberty, increases corruption risks, and jeopardizes the faithful execution of laws for all citizens. The order on the Senior Executive Service ignores statutory protections passed by Congress, representing an alarming expansion of centralized executive power over the civil service. The blanket return-to-office directive fails to recognize the value of remote work options proven effective for many federal roles. Combined with the hiring freeze, which relies on the faulty assumption that the federal workforce is too large, these policies will hamper productivity and worsen ongoing hiring challenges rather than improve government operations. NARFE strongly opposes these misguided efforts that devalue public service and the essential work civil servants perform daily for our nation. Maintaining an apolitical, professional civil service selected on merit is vital to upholding our democracy. Congress must act swiftly to block implementation of these harmful orders that threaten core principles and protections for federal workers and retirees who have faithfully served the American people. Passing the Saving the Civil Service Act would be an important step to preserving a system that has strengthened, not weakened, our government for over a century.