Biden’s Move to Protect the Deep State

What’s happening: President Biden’s administration issued a new rule that makes it extremely difficult for future presidents to fire lifelong civil service bureaucrats without cause.

Why it matters: Since his 2016 win, Donald Trump has railed against the deep state — the permanent class of government workers — whom he believes hampered his efforts as president. The new rule makes it onerous for him, if he wins the presidency again, to enact changes.

Trump’s plan: Trump signed an executive order that allowed reclassification of career executive branch employees — as opposed to political appointees — into a new category, Schedule F. The rebranded workers could be fired and replaced with appointees of his choosing. Biden rescinded the order, but Trump plans to restore it should he win reelection.

• Take note: The executive branch is home to millions of federal workers and includes various cabinet departments, the military, and intelligence services. Federal employees tend to donate overwhelmingly to Democrats over Republicans.

More: Biden’s rule prevents a future president from categorizing career civil service positions under broad terms like “policy-making,” thus exempting them from termination without cause. The rule permanently protects the jobs of millions of federal employees.

• Keep in mind: A future administration could rescind the rule, but it would require maneuvering through a long, politically-weighted process.

Generational change: The conservative movement is planning huge changes to the federal bureaucracy if Trump wins. Under Project 2025, conservative think-tank Heritage Foundation formulated a list of potential employees who could be utilized to refashion the bureaucracy.