The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released official guidance on July 29 for agencies to follow as they implement President Donald Trump’s July 17 executive order that created a new Schedule G for Federal employees – including requirements for review by the White House of any appointments under the new schedule.
The new “Schedule G” classification is for Federal employees who serve in “policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating” roles and are not career employees, allowing them to be hired and fired at will, according to the executive order.
A fact sheet from the White House that explains the order says that employees hired under Schedule G will “generally be expected to leave” when a president’s term ends, and that the new classification will not apply to career positions or career employees.
In a July 29 memo to the heads of Federal civilian agencies and departments, OPM Director Scott Kupor explained that the Schedule C classification for Federal employees “only covers excepted service positions of a confidential or policy-determining character. No excepted service schedule existed specifically for noncareer positions of a policy-making or policy-advocating character.”
“The addition of Schedule G positions now eliminates this gap in the excepted service schedules,” the memo says.
“Schedule G is available to all agencies with the authority to make excepted service appointments under 5 C.F.R. § 6.3(a),” the memo continues. “Agencies should document Schedule G appointments using table 11-A, rules 52-55 of Chapter 11 of the Guide to Processing Personnel Actions (GPPA).”
OPM said it is in the process of updating the GPPA and will provide unique coding for the Schedule G.
“Agencies should also note that, as a matter of process, use of the Schedule G appointing authority requires coordination with OPM’s White House Liaison, through OPM’s Executive and Schedule C System (ESCS),” the memo says, adding, “ESCS serves as the central intake and approval mechanism for the Schedule G appointing authority at the agency level.
“In addition, approval or withdrawal of the Schedule G appointing authority requires review from the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, through the employing agency’s White House Liaison,” the memo says, adding that “as a matter of practice, no Schedule G appointment(s) should be advanced without coordinating with the employing agency’s White House Liaison.”
“President Trump is committed to recruiting the most patriotic and capable Americans for federal service,” Kupor said in a related announcement.
“Schedule G brings needed flexibility to the process of appointing noncareer policy roles across government, to ensure key policy-determining and policy-advocating positions are staffed in alignment with the administration’s priorities,” the OPM director said.