Federal workers make up about a quarter of the jobs in D.C., and anxieties are running high as the Trump administration looms. Many worry the administration’s plans to slash jobs could drastically change our city’s culture and economy. We talked with the Washington Post’s Lisa Rein about how realistic this threat is and what employees are doing about it.
Reviving ‘Schedule F’
President-Elect Trump first passed this policy in October 2020, changing how federal employees are categorized so that they are no longer protected by the due process requirements most civil servants have. This means they could be fired more easily. Last April, President Biden passed regulations to protect workers despite Schedule F, but Trump has signalled that he may bypass them.
“What we don't know is how the Trump Administration is going to revive Schedule F. It's believed that they will do it, but we're not sure when and how,” said Rein.
Relocating Government Jobs
The Trump administration has also discussed — and previously attempted — moving thousands of government jobs elsewhere. And if you don’t want to move with your job, well, you’re out of luck. However, it’s not easy to move a whole agency out of the DMV, and it costs multi-millions.
Elon Musk and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, co-chairs of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, meeting with members of Congress. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/Getty Images)
Return to the Office Crackdown
Famously, one of the things Trump and Mayor Bowser agree on is getting federal workers back into the office full-time. The catch is that most big cabinet agencies are covered by union contracts, which include telework provisions. However, those not covered, like managers, could be forced to oblige. There’s been a huge push to finalize new contracts with telework protections before inauguration.
How Are Workers Preparing?
On the more extreme end, there are even reports of people taking out liability insurance to cover legal fees in case they are fired and have to go to court.
But a more common trend: Rein says she’s seen a lot of workers scrubbing social media for any political comments or beliefs that could make them a target of the next administration.
Additionally, many employees in liberal-coded positions, such as those working on climate change or DEI, are reworking their job titles to make them sound more nonpartisan. Others are trying to shift bureaus altogether, where they think they’ll have less of a risk of being cut.
