"The Department of Energy is moving ahead with a controversial move by President Trump to make it easier for the federal government to fire and hire career staff, according to a document obtained by E&E News.
According to an internal memo issued this month, DOE's human resources department is developing a list of positions that would fall under the guidelines of an executive order that Trump signed in late October.
That order is the subject of a lawsuit by a union that represents federal employees, as well as legislation filed by congressional Democrats seeking to reverse the order (E&E Daily, Oct. 28).
Trump's order directed agency chiefs to create a new category of federal workers — "Schedule F" — and then reclassify certain employees, including supervisors and scientific experts. The order would, in effect, make the new class of employees serve "at will" — without the usual protections."
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