The Biden Administration has recently announced a proposal for a new rule that would limit the Trump Administration’s efforts to purge government agencies of officials they deem to be inadequate. The proposal comes on the heels of a number of high-profile firings that have taken place in the final weeks of the Trump Administration, including the firing of multiple members of the National Security Council and the Defense Department.
The proposed rule would put limits on the ability of the Administration to unilaterally reduce the size of a federal agency by firing long-term staff or re-assigning employees. The rule would also make it difficult for the politically appointed heads of agencies to make sweeping changes without the approval of the relevant department head.
The proposal would ensure that new Administrations are not able to quickly and easily remove senior officials at the government organizations that they oversee. Under the proposed rule, government agencies would need to have a 60-day period to show why a staff reduction or position elimination is necessary and demonstrate that they conducted an exhaustive review of the qualifications and eligibility of the individuals involved.
The proposed rule is an attempt to preserve the continuity of the government and prevent politically motivated firings and staff reductions. The rule would also set a standard by which future Administrations would have to abide when making staffing decisions, ensuring that change is based on policy disagreements at least as much as partisan reasons.
The proposal is being hailed by many civil service and union advocates as a victory for the career public servants who keep the nation’s government functioning. The hope is that it will give them a degree of stability and protect them from any attempts to purge the administration of those who do not fit the mold.
Although the exact details of the proposed rule have not yet been made public, it is clear that the Biden Administration is taking a strong stance against the last-minute firings of the Trump Administration and is looking to protect career public servants from future political purges.