Washington, D.C. — Democracy Forward, Protect Democracy, and a coalition of more than 30 organizations filed a formal comment today, opposing a proposed rule by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) that would unlawfully weaken protections for federal workers. The proposed “suitability and fitness” rule would allow the government to sidestep existing legal protections for career federal employees, opening the door to politically motivated removals and undermining the nonpartisan, merit-based civil service system that has been in place for over a century.

The proposed rule would permit OPM to fire federal employees for vaguely defined conduct while stripping them of the due process rights Congress has guaranteed under federal law. The coalition’s comment explains that the proposed rule is unlawful, lacks evidence, and would undermine the integrity of the federal workforce, which works for all Americans.

“This proposed rule is a blatant attempt to erode long-standing civil service protections. It would allow the administration to fire federal employees without following the procedures that Congress mandated to ensure that the federal workforce is retained based on merit and not politics. We urge the Trump-Vance administration to abandon this unlawful attempt and uphold a government that serves the people, not political interests,” said Michael Martinez, Senior Counsel at Democracy Forward.

“OPM is attempting to unlawfully bypass Congress and strip civil service protections from dedicated federal employees while leaving the door open for politically-motivated firings,” said Ori Lev, Special Counsel at Protect Democracy. “This should be treated as what it is: another attempt by the Trump Administration to consolidate power and politicize the federal workforce. We urge the administration to listen to our concerns and rescind this proposed rule.”

The coalition warns that if finalized, the proposed rule would allow political appointees to remove career employees without oversight, reversing more than a century of non-partisan support from experienced federal workers. 

Read the coalition’s comment here. 

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Democracy Forward Foundation is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org.