Earlier this month, President Trump’s administration announced it will move forward with a rule that would make it vastly easier for Trump to fire, replace or reassign employees who are not doing his bidding, including scientists whose findings may not align with the president’s agenda. Schedule Policy/Career, formerly called Schedule F, would remove civil service protections from 50,000 employees, making them more vulnerable to political pressure. The announcement was made despite numerous lawsuits that have been brought against the reclassification. Public comment on the rule is open until May 23.
Below is a statement by Dr. Jennifer Jones, director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
“Under this new employment classification, if President Trump doesn’t like the findings of federal research, a new science-based rule, or even the scientific information a federal agency shares with the public, he can simply fire the scientists or policy analysts behind the work.
“This job reclassification creates an incentive for scientists to conduct studies that are biased in favor of the outcome the president wants. Similarly, it pressures experts into issuing rules the president favors, very likely those deemed acceptable by, or that would, benefit industry, even if the rules do not comport with fact or the latest science.
“Schedule P/C chips away at the foundation of democracy and sidelines science by making it easier to remove anyone who dares to challenge this corrupt and incompetent administration. It will undoubtedly lead to decreased stability and even chaos in the federal government as staff with institutional knowledge are fired for adhering to facts and science and not the president’s agenda or flee this repressive regime.
“The balance of power between the three branches of the United States government was thoughtfully designed to stymy corruption. Schedule P/C would destabilize that balance by allowing politicians to wield unchecked control over traditionally non-partisan independent institutions and the experts employed there and give jobs to those willing to pass a political litmus test or curry favor rather than those with experience. Scientists keep our air and water clean and our food and medicine safe. Political interference by Trump, his allies and industry elites will undermine that work, threatening the health and safety of all.
“The implementation of Schedule P/C comes as the Trump administration simultaneously lays off thousands of scientists, slashes scientific funding and appoints discredited scientists to influential positions. It is part of a clear strategy to weaken the United States’ democracy by burying science that doesn’t align with their agenda and removing anyone who dares to challenge this corrupt and incompetent administration.
“Schedule P/C would be the most significant change to the U.S. Civil Service since its creation in 1883. Between the mass firings and converting civil servants to political appointees, the federal government has become a shell of itself and one that is no longer of and by the people but of and by one person: Donald Trump.”