By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Policy. Career civil servants are the backbone of the Federal workforce, providing the expertise and experience necessary for the critical functioning of the Federal Government. It is the policy of the United States to protect, empower, and rebuild the career Federal workforce. It is also the policy of the United States to encourage union organizing and collective bargaining. The Federal Government should serve as a model employer.
Sec. 2. Revocation of Schedule F. (a) The creation of a new Schedule F excepted service category in Executive Order 13957 of October 21, 2020 (Creating Schedule F in the Excepted Service), not only was unnecessary to the conditions of good administration, but also undermined the foundations of the civil service and its merit system principles, which were essential to the Pendleton Civ
President Joe Biden has used his first days in office to reset relations with federal workers. Credit: Adam Schultz/Biden for President/Flickr
US President Joe Biden has used his first days in office to reset relations with federal professionals, reversing a number of executive orders issued by his predecessor Donald Trump that were seen by many as an attempt to politicise and undermine the civil service.
In an executive order, released last week under the title “protecting the federal workforce”, Biden revoked ‘Schedule F’ – which would have removed employment protections for all those involved in providing policy advice – and reversed the anti-union thrust of three Trump executive orders from May 2018.