Critics warn of loyalty test in new White House hiring guidelines

New White House hiring guidelines sent out to federal agencies last week include what looks like a presidential loyalty test, say current and former federal employees and Trump administration critics.Why it matters: Meant to serve as guidelines to focus hiring on merit, the memo is the latest move from the Trump administration to politicize the civil service, eroding, more than a century of law and tradition meant to insulate career employees from politics, critics say.Where it stands: Candidates for civil service jobs — including janitors, nurses, surgeons, engineers, lawyers and economists — are to be asked four questions on their level of patriotism and support for the president's policies.They are to answer in essay form, at a maximum of 200 words, and certify that they did not use help from artificial intelligence.How it works: "How would you help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role?" reads the third question, which is garnering a lot of attention.It continues: "Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired."Zoom out: These questions have nothing to do with a candidate's merit or skills, says Jeri Buchholz, a former chief human capital officer who led HR at NASA and ran HR at other federal agencies for decades."When you're doing hiring, traditionally by law, you have to focus on the knowledge, skills and abilities required for the position," she says.The questions "are philosophical. They're not even aptitude related. And I'm very unclear how you score that."Dealing with these questions could slow the hiring process, running counter to the stated intent of the guidelines to speed it up, Buchholz says.Taken together these plans "will make it more difficult to hire, not less," a current federal HR official told Government Executive."A merit-based civil service that took generations to build is being dismantled via memo," writes Stanford University political scientist Adam Bonica in a Substack post on Sunday.The other side: An official from the Office of Personnel Management defended the questions as legal and within the bounds of presidential authority."The President has the power of superintendence over the Executive Branch and clear statutory authority to ask these questions of prospective employees. He is not imposing a loyalty test by doing so," they say.The law requires those who work for agencies to act consistently with the president's lawful executive orders and policy priorities, they say, making it reasonable to ask for examples that candidates are excited about.Agencies will decide whether and how to use the questions.The big picture: The White House has already fired or pushed out more than 100,000 federal workers, chasing away a lot of talent from the government.Now it looks like they'll be replacing those folks with partisans, says Max Stier, president of the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service. "They're emptying the shelves of the existing nonpartisan expert civil servants, and they're restocking with the loyalists," he says.The bottom line: Trump bristled at the pushback he received from "deep-state" federal employees in his first term, and a focus this term is ensuring that does not happen again.Read the full 30 page memo from the Office of Personnel Management.

Comments

World news

Norwegian doctor raped dozens of women and girls during medical examinations

Express

Comments

Similar News

Australia’s critically endangered alpine tree frogs sidestep deadly fungus with sexual plan B

Trump is ‘losing patience’ with Musk’s criticism as president reposts mogul’s leaving the White House message

Cancer patients facing critical treatment delays due to UK’s workforce crisis

Ivanka Trump promotes book by author who criticized her dad by saying ‘if Trump wins, we lose’

Push to reopen old mines in NSW in global race for critical minerals

Why the White House is singling out the BBC for criticism

Rachel Reeves just sent a pointed message to her critics

Iran's supreme leader criticizes US proposal in nuclear talks, but does not reject idea of a deal

Reprieve for critically ill Mexican girl, 4, who could have died within days if deported under Trump order

Environmentalists criticize Trump administration push for new oil and gas drilling in Alaska

Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized for not reading Trump’s ‘big beautiful’ bill

Rome’s taxi drivers rev up criticism of Wolff after being likened to Verstappen

Jeremy Bowen: Killings near Gaza aid centre will deepen criticism of Israel's new distribution system

‘Barbaric’: wildlife advocates criticize Florida bear hunt proposal

U.S. consulting firm quits Gaza humanitarian aid effort amid criticism

Mexico's president defends first judicial election despite low turnout and democratic criticism

Republican senator criticized for mock apology after saying ‘we all are going to die’

Reporter says she was fired from Trump-friendly outlet after criticizing Hegseth

US homeland security removes list of ‘sanctuary’ cities after sheriffs’ criticism

Ukraine's audacious drone attack sends critical message to Russia - and the West

World news

Norwegian doctor raped dozens of women and girls during medical examinations

Police struggling to find survival expert accused of killing 3 daughters

Crisis in Croatia as Italian and German tourists abandon country

Escaped killer known as ‘Devil in the Ozarks’ has likely fled Arkansas, say US Marshals

Kash Patel has live ‘WTF’ moment on Joe Rogan as he learns of Trump vs. Musk mid-interview

Five Proud Boys leaders sue DOJ for $100 million over their Jan 6 prosecution

Elon Musk’s crash-out killed conservatives’ momentum — and likely guaranteed passage of Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’

Transportation chief seeks to weaken fuel economy standards, calls Biden-era rule 'illegal'

Possible mass shooting targeting graduation ceremony thwarted, police say

Man accused of killing ‘King of the Hill’ voice actor Jonathan Joss ‘maintains his innocence’ lawyer says

Madeleine McCann prime suspect gloats he will never be charged without a body in chilling letter

Wildfires force another 1,000 residents from their homes in the Canadian province of Manitoba

Why is the air quality so bad? What to know about the health dangers of wildfire smoke

Relatives of Angel Delight ‘drug smugglers’ in ‘shock’ as they face firing squad

The Economics of Trump’s Budget and Policy Bill

Russia Launches Massive Aerial Bombardment of Ukraine

The big reason why Republicans should worry about an angry Elon Musk

Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s fallout, explained

Man wrongly deported to El Salvador has been returned to US to face criminal charges

Scoop: Treasury officials defend "revenge tax" from wary GOP senators

Province of Manitoba providing financial support for wildfire evacuees

Toronto man who deliberately shot an unarmed stranger given life sentence

Man appeals sentence in London, Ont. Muslim family killing

Edmonton man convicted of murder with scissors should be in hospital, not prison: lawyer

Oilers look to maintain lead against Panthers in Game 2 of Stanley Cup Final

Inside abandoned farm buildings where cops held new search for Madeleine McCann

Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner writes sick new letter from jail

Buyer With Ties to Chinese Communist Party Got V.I.P. Treatment at Trump Crypto Dinner

Wanted dad searched ‘how to relocate to Canada’ before 3 daughters’ deaths

Nearly 400 electrical workers at City of Calgary-owned Enmax vote in favour of strike

Canadian, European space agencies reaffirm relations amid political, economic anxiety

Okanagan fire officials urge vigilance amid early season heat, pair of ‘close-call fires’

Ring camera catches black bear roaming around quiet Hudson, Que., community

China's Panchen Lama pledges loyalty to the Communist Party in a meeting with Xi

Madeleine McCann suspect 'pens letter to German cops taunting them for not finding body'

Porn site founder who appeared on FBI’s most wanted list pleads guilty in California

You can now bet on the next steps in the Trump-Musk fallout and when they will have their first meeting

New coronavirus discovered in China ‘only small step’ from infecting humans

DOGE used flawed AI tool to ‘munch’ Veteran Affairs contracts, report claims

Papa John’s makes popular limited-time pizza a permanent menu option

Linda McMahon says Harvard and Columbia making ‘progress’ to meet Trump’s demands to stop antisemitism

DHS staffer facing ‘serious punishment’ for including journalist in email thread

Trump administration scrambling to rehire workers cut by DOGE to fill critical government roles

DOGE will be allowed to access Social Security data for now, Supreme Court rules

Kash Patel has live ‘WTF’ moment on Joe Rogan as he learns of Trump vs. Musk mid-interview

‘She always said, “I’m going to be famous, dad”’: Teen dies after viral TikTok ‘dusting’ challenge

JD Vance silence on Musk may be the most Game of Thrones tactic ever — and Trump might not even notice

Madeleine McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner gloats cops ‘will NEVER pin case on me without a body’ in sick letter

Read Madeleine McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner’s sick letter in full – including chilling ‘no body’ gloat

Gynaecologist who raped dozens of patients & secretly filmed examinations for almost 20 years is jailed in Norway

Man wrongly deported to El Salvador returning to the US to face criminal charges

More than 40 'narco-boat' drug smugglers arrested in major police sting

Bodies of woman and boyfriend found after chilling phone clue in disappearance

Wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia returning to U.S.

Fewer Ontario cities will hit housing targets amidst ‘major crisis’: minister

"He's a lunatic": Democrats shut down idea of Musk alliance after break with Trump

Police retract ‘premature’ hate crime denial in Jonathan Joss shooting