Trump's 'Retribution' Agenda Targets Government Workers

Former President Donald Trump's 2024 presidential bid includes a promise to dismantle the "deep state" and take down government workers who work against Republicans. Trump's lead proposal is to reinstitute an executive order known as "Schedule F," which would reclassify tens of thousands of federal employees involved in policy decisions as at-will employees, making it easier for a president to fire them. The policy was instituted in the final weeks of the Trump administration but was not fully implemented. The focus on career officials intensified during the Covid pandemic, causing anxiety in the federal workforce and organizations that help the government work more effectively.