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By James Oliphant and Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President-elect Donald Trump is poised to take more control of the federal government than any modern president before him when he takes office on Monday, continuing with plans to dismantle what he and his allies call the “deep state,” according to two sources familiar with the transition talks.
The effort could continue before Trump’s first day as president, according to one of the sources, with an executive order aimed at stripping job protections from an estimated 50,000 federal workers, allowing them to be replaced by people the faithful handpicked.
The Trump administration will also push to fill thousands of political polls across the state as soon as possible, a source told Reuters.
The goal is to bring political activists into the workings of government, perhaps more than any other president in recent memory.
In a statement on what might happen, Trump’s team has called for the resignation of three top labor advocates overseeing US State Department personnel and internal affairs, Reuters reported this week.
Trump’s allies blame officials they consider untrustworthy for thwarting his plans during his first term in the White House with slow-moving efforts at the Justice Department, Department of Education and other agencies.
About a dozen Trump nominees for his second term have been given a clear mandate to shake up federal employees or have expressed support for those plans, according to staff statements and interviews. of media reviewed by Reuters.
Russell Vought, Trump’s nominee to return as director of the Office of Management and Budget, played a central role in creating an earlier version of the restructuring order, known as Schedule F, when Trump left office in 2020.
The revised schedule F order will allow department officials to reclassify positions from official to political positions, said one of the sources familiar with the transition plan.
That can make it easier for organizations to fire employees without reason and replace them.
Vought will be assisted during Trump’s second term by Sergio Gor, who was appointed to lead the White House staff office.
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Others tasked with ending the “serious situation” include acting Attorney General Pam Bondi, the next FBI director, Kash Patel, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz, nominee for education Linda McMahon, and Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. , who will lead the Trump administration’s efforts, a Reuters analysis found.
When asked, Trump’s transition team would not provide details on a timeline for the planned shakeup, which could take months due to federal regulatory processes.
“The Trump administration will have a place for people in government who are committed to protecting the rights of the American people, putting America first, and ensuring the best use of our tax dollars for men and women,” the spokesman said. attorney Brian Hughes.
Critics and unions representing government workers say there is no such thing as a “serious situation,” and that Trump and his allies are peddling a conspiracy theory to justify the agency’s power grab.
James Eisenmann, a lawyer and federal workforce policy expert, said in an interview that Trump is wrong that many federal workers have an emotional plan and noted that under current law, underemployed workers or those who do not work can be fired.
He said schedule F will create a culture of silence and fear that can affect work performance.
“People will be afraid to speak up or suggest something helpful for fear of being fired,” Eisenmann said. “When people are afraid, it’s not easy to get them to do things.”
Steve Lenkart, executive director of the National Federation of Federal Workers, said in an interview that the new group is intended to create a “secret police” within the federal government.
He said: “The incoming administration believes that they will use Schedule F to subject professional staff to integrity or political integrity tests and will remove those that are undesirable.”
Hughes, a spokesman for Trump’s transition, did not respond to questions about what role individual appointees would play in carrying out Trump’s agenda, or the accusation of “secret police”.
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During Senate confirmation hearings on Wednesday, Vought and Bondi expressed support for the policies behind Schedule F.
Vought testified that he believed some parts of the federal government were “armed.”
He declined to answer questions about whether he advised Trump to fire more people, but said the staff reorganization would ensure the president has policymakers “who respond to his vision, his agenda.”
Bondi, during his trial, said that Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump was evidence of complicity within the Justice Department.
He vowed not to use the agency to target people based on their politics, but avoided direct questions about investigating Trump’s political opponents.
Biden’s Justice Department has long denied that it pursued criminal cases against Trump for political reasons. It did not respond to a request for comment Friday.
The process of identifying members of the federal organization with views that may oppose the incoming administration has begun.
In December, the American Accountability Foundation, working with support from the conservative Heritage Foundation, sent a letter to Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, naming 20 leaders across the US military who it believed were targeted. overthinking diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Progressive Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has defended such efforts, saying a diverse military reflects the diversity of the United States.
The Pentagon sent a request for comment to Trump’s transition team.
The American Accountability Foundation has also published a list of “Top 10 Targets” on its website of employees at the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice who say they oppose increased border security efforts.
There are other names coming up, said Yitz Friedman, the group’s spokesman.
