Trump's ‘At-Will' Employment Order-Which Federal Agencies Are Most at Risk?

President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping executive order that removes civil‑service protections from nearly 8,000 federal employees, shifting them into a new "at‑will" category that allows for rapid dismissal.

The move significantly broadens the administration's ability to replace career officials in policy‑influencing roles, reviving elements of the Schedule F framework from Trump's first term. The order touches dozens of agencies, including those responsible for cybersecurity, data systems, and emerging technology, and is expected to spark legal challenges and internal disruption across the federal workforce.

The affected roles include chief information officers, deputy CIOs, a chief information security officer, a chief technology officer, and numerous senior staff overseeing IT modernization, data governance, and artificial intelligence.

What Is Trump’s Latest ‘At-Will’ Employment Order?

The new order shifts thousands of senior career officials into Schedule Policy/Career, a category created earlier in Trump's second term for roles with substantial influence over federal policy. Employees who moved into this classification no longer have access to the traditional appeals process that protects most civil servants, effectively making them subject to dismissal without it.

Most of the affected positions sit at the GS‑15 level, including directors, deputy directors, chiefs of staff, senior advisers, regulatory analysts, public‑affairs leaders, and officials who oversee major federal grant programs, many of whom earn close to $200,000 annually.

At the signing ceremony, White House officials argued the change ensures that senior career staff can implement the administration's agenda without internal resistance. Critics counter that the order resurrects the core mechanics of Schedule F and risks politicizing roles that were intended to remain nonpartisan.

Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Scott Kupor defended the shift, saying these positions must be filled by people "willing to and capable of carrying out" the administration's directives.

What Federal Agencies Are Most in Jeopardy From Trump’s Order?

Career officials across the federal government won't feel the impact of Trump's new "at‑will" employment order evenly. The reclassification hits hardest in agencies where senior civil servants shape national‑security decisions, oversee scientific and regulatory work, or manage the government's most complex technology systems. Those departments now face the greatest risk of operational disruption, rapid turnover, and politicization as thousands of high‑level roles lose long‑standing civil‑service protections.

Department of Homeland Security

DHS has one of the largest senior workforces in the federal government, with tens of thousands of employees at the GS‑12 to GS‑15 levels. Many of the reclassified roles sit in cybersecurity, intelligence integration, border‑security strategy, and technology infrastructure-areas where continuity is essential and politically driven turnover could disrupt national‑security operations.

Department of Defense

The DOD employs a vast cadre of senior analysts, modernization leads, and policy advisers who shape military planning and procurement. While not shown in the OPM images, the DOD historically maintains one of the largest GS‑14 and GS‑15 populations, making it highly vulnerable to the effects of at‑will reclassification.

Department of Health and Human Services

HHS has a deep bench of GS‑13 and GS‑14 staff, including more than 25,000 employees in those grades alone. These positions drive public‑health analytics, data governance, and regulatory policy, functions that depend on scientific independence and could be destabilized by rapid personnel changes.

Department of the Treasury

The Treasury's workforce includes large clusters of GS‑13 and GS‑14 officials, many of whom work in sanctions enforcement, financial‑systems oversight, and economic‑policy analysis. These roles intersect with global markets and national security, making the department particularly sensitive to politically influenced turnover.

Department of Justice

The DOJ's senior workforce is dominated by GS‑12 to GS‑14 legal and policy staff-more than 40,000 employees across those grades. These advisers help determine enforcement priorities and regulatory interpretation, meaning that at‑will status could influence how laws are applied and how independent legal judgments are made.

Department of Energy

The DOE has a substantial concentration of GS‑13 to GS‑15 employees working in cybersecurity, grid security, and nuclear policy analysis. These roles support critical infrastructure and national‑security programs, making the department especially vulnerable to disruption if senior experts can be removed quickly.

Environmental Protection Agency

The EPA's workforce is heavily weighted toward GS‑12 and GS‑13 scientific and regulatory staff. These employees oversee environmental enforcement, public‑health protections, and scientific‑integrity work, areas where politicization could directly affect rulemaking and data interpretation.

Office of Management and Budget

The OMB's regulatory‑review and data‑policy teams are smaller than those in Cabinet‑level agencies but disproportionately influential. These GS‑13 to GS‑15 officials shape federal rulemaking and evaluate agency performance, meaning at‑will reclassification could alter how regulations are vetted across the government.

General Services Administration

GSA's senior workforce, concentrated in GS‑12 to GS‑14 modernization, cloud strategy and AI governance roles, underpins the technology infrastructure used across federal agencies. At‑will status could affect procurement decisions, cybersecurity standards, and the rollout of government‑wide tech initiatives.

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This story was originally published June 4, 2026 at 11:39 AM.