By the power granted to me as President under the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including sections 3301, 3302, 5595, and 7511 of title 5, United States Code, the following order is issued:
Section 1. Purpose. The President depends on the executive branch staff to execute laws and advance the goals set by the American electorate. Those in roles of confidentiality and policy influence are vital in fulfilling these constitutional duties. Thus, the ability to dismiss such employees for misconduct or poor performance is crucial to maintaining democratic governance by an elected President.
To improve accountability in these roles, Executive Order 13957 of October 21, 2020, (Creating Schedule F in the Excepted Service), amended by Executive Order 14171 of January 20, 2025, (Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce), established Schedule Policy/Career in the excepted service. These positions are filled based on merit, not political ties, and are exempt from procedures that complicate dismissing employees for poor performance or misconduct. As a result, only about two-fifths of Federal supervisors believe they can dismiss employees for serious misconduct, and just a quarter feel they can remove underperformers. Additionally, two-thirds of senior Federal executives indicate their agencies seldom reassign or dismiss ineffective managers.
To enhance accountability, senior policy-influencing roles must transition to Schedule Policy/Career. This order implements these transfers and modifies Civil Service Rules and previous Executive Orders to enforce Schedule Policy/Career. It also promotes merit within the Federal civil service by instructing agencies to recognize and reward outstanding work by Schedule Policy/Career employees.
Sec. 2. Amendments to the Civil Service Rules and Regulations. (a) Civil Service Rule I is revised by removing the text following “Provided, that an employee who is in the competitive service” and replacing it with “with competitive status at the time his position is first listed under Schedule A, B, C, Policy/Career or G shall be in the excepted service but shall retain his competitive status.”
(b) Civil Service Rule III is revised by adding a new paragraph 5 at the end of 5 CFR 3.1(a): “(5) An employee whose initial appointment was to a Pathways Program position in Schedule D of the excepted service, and who was subsequently converted to a position in Schedule Policy/Career, with or without an intervening term appointment, and without a break in service of one day.”
(c) Civil Service Rule VI is amended as follows:
(i) 5 CFR 6.2 is revised by:
(A) Modifying the first sentence to: “OPM shall publish at least annually a list of the positions excepted from the competitive service in the following schedules, which constitute parts of this rule:”; and
(B) Modifying the second sentence in the “Schedule Policy/Career” paragraph to: “In appointing an individual to a position in Schedule Policy/Career, each agency shall follow merit-based hiring procedures as prescribed by OPM and adhere to the principle of veteran preference as far as administratively feasible.”
(ii) 5 CFR 6.8 is amended by adding a new subsection (e): “(e) An employee in the competitive service serving a probationary period when his position is first listed under Schedule Policy/Career of the excepted service shall acquire competitive status upon satisfactorily completing 1 year of current continuous service in that position.”
(d) Civil Service Rule XI is amended by revising 5 CFR 11.3(a) by removing the period at the end and replacing it with: “; provided that individuals appointed to positions in Schedule C, Schedule E, Schedule Policy/Career, and Schedule G are not subject to trial periods.”
(e) Subsection (c) of the “Qualifying appointment” definition at 5 CFR 550.703 is revised to: “(c) An excepted appointment without time limitation, except under Schedule C or Schedule G, or another noncareer appointment.”
(f) 5 CFR 550.704(b) is revised by striking “or” at the end of subparagraph (4), striking the period at the end of subparagraph (5), inserting “; or” in its place, and adding a new subparagraph (6): “(6) Occupies a position in Schedule Policy/Career of the excepted service and his or her agency identifies unacceptable performance or misconduct as the basis for separation in a written notice to the employee.”
(g) Within 60 days of this order, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall prepare and issue revisions to remove or update obsolete provisions of the Civil Service Rules that do not substantively affect agency operations.
Sec. 3. Amendments to Executive Orders. (a) Executive Order 13957, as amended by Executive Order 14171, is further revised as follows:
(i) Removing the fourth paragraph of section 1; and
(ii) Amending section 5(a) by deleting everything following “Following such reviews each agency head” and inserting: “shall petition the Director to recommend that the President place in Schedule Policy/Career any such competitive service, Schedule A, Schedule B, or Schedule D positions within the agency that the agency head determines to be of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character and that are not normally subject to change as a result of a Presidential transition. Any such petition shall include a written explanation documenting the basis for the agency head’s determination that such position should be placed in Schedule Policy/Career.”
(b) Executive Order 13562 of December 27, 2010, (Recruiting and Hiring Students and Recent Graduates), as amended by Executive Order 14217 of February 19, 2025, (Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy), is further revised by adding a new sentence at the end of section 5(c): “Such career appointments may include positions in Schedule Policy/Career, subject to review by OPM.”
Sec. 4. Performance Awards. (a) Consistent with 5 CFR Part 451 and applicable law, the head of each agency with employees in Schedule Policy/Career is directed to set aside a separate bonus pool, and use existing award authorities, to ensure that Schedule Policy/Career employees are recognized and rewarded for exceptional work.
(b) The Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall promptly initiate a rulemaking pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 4504 and 4506 to establish a Presidential award program for Schedule Policy/Career employees.
Sec. 5. Schedule Policy/Career Determination and Transfer. (a) The positions listed in the Appendix to this order are determined to have a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character. It is further decided that these positions should be excepted from the competitive service due to their nature.
(b) The positions listed in the Appendix to this order are hereby placed in Schedule Policy/Career of the excepted service. Changes to a listed position’s description numbering or organizational alignment do not affect its placement in Schedule Policy/Career.
(c) The head of each agency with positions covered by subsection (b) of this section shall, within 7 days of this order:
(i) Inform officers or employees in such positions of their placement in Schedule Policy/Career; and
(ii) Update agency records and practices to reflect changes made by this order.
Sec. 6. General Provisions. (a) This order should not be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) The authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or its head; or
(ii) The functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget related to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented in line with applicable law and subject to available appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, entities, officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
(d) If any part of this order, or its application to any person or circumstance, is found invalid, the remaining portions of this order and its application to other persons or circumstances shall remain unaffected.
(e) The costs for publishing this order shall be covered by the Office of Personnel Management.
APPENDIX
DONALD J. TRUMP
THE WHITE HOUSE,
June 3, 2026.
