Trump Admin Makes It Easier to Fire Thousands of Federal Workers

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Reuters
By Yuval Rosenberg and Michael Rainey

TrumpRx, the Trump administration's central hub for direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical sales just launched. The site is a key part of Trump's effort to lower prescription drug prices, which has been a central element of his response to Americans' cost-of-living concerns. The TrumpRx portal will cater to people willing to pay discounted cash prices for medications such as obesity drugs Zepbound and Wegovy or diabetes drug Januvia - but experts note that the prices may still be unaffordable for many patients, and that people with health insurance may often see lower out-of-pocket costs by going through those plans.

Here's what else is happening.

Skepticism Grows About DHS Funding Deal as New Deadline Nears

Democratic congressional leaders last night issued a 10-point list of demands for changes to the Department of Homeland Security and the Trump administration's immigration enforcement. Key Republicans quickly dismissed the list, and with serious negotiations reportedly yet to get underway, a bipartisan deal appears to be a long shot.

The list from Democratic leaders echoed and expanded on their previously stated demands. "Federal immigration agents cannot continue to cause chaos in our cities while using taxpayer money that should be used to make life more affordable for working families," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer wrote in a letter to their Republican counterparts. "The American people rightfully expect their elected representatives to take action to rein in ICE and ensure no more lives are lost. It is critical that we come together to impose common sense reforms and accountability measures that the American people are demanding."

Here are shortened versions of the 10 points in their letter:

  • Targeted enforcement requiring judicial warrants for DHS officers to enter private property and verification that any would-be detainees are not U.S. citizens.
  • No masks for ICE and immigration enforcement agents.
  • Require body cameras for federal agents interacting with the public, but the cameras cannot be used to track or create databases of people "participating in First Amendment activities."
  • Require Identification for DHS officers conducting immigration enforcement and require them to say their ID number and last name if asked.
  • No enforcement activity at sensitive locations, including medical facilities, schools, child-care facilities, churches, polling places and courts.
  • No racial profiling or stops based on an individual's presence at specific locations.
  • Uphold a use-of-force policy that includes having officers involved in an incident removed from the field until an investigation is conducted.
  • Ensure state and local coordination, including the ability to investigate and prosecute potential crimes and use of excessive force incidents.
  • Ensure safeguards and standards for buildings where people are detained, including the ability for states to sue DHS for violations and no limitations on visits by members of Congress to ICE facilities.
  • No "paramilitary" police, meaning uniforms and equipment should be standardized and in line with civil enforcement.

The Democratic letter added that the Trump administration can take steps to show good faith, "including fully ramping down the surge in Minnesota and removing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem from her position."

Republicans reject 'ridiculous' list: Republicans have already rejected some of Democrats' demands and have pressed to have any funding deal include some GOP priorities, such as a crackdown on sanctuary cities and legislation to require proof of citizenship when Americans register to vote.

"Democrats' newest proposal is a ridiculous Christmas list of demands for the press," Sen. Katie Britt, the lead negotiator for Republicans, said in a post on X late Wednesday night. "This is NOT negotiating in good faith, and it's NOT what the American people want. They continue to play politics to their radical base at the expense of the safety of Americans. DHS, FEMA, Secret Service, and the Coast Guard run out of money in 9 days. Democrats don't seem to care one bit."

Senate Majority Leader John Thune was only a bit less dismissive. "There are a few things that there's probably some room to negotiate on," Thune reportedly said. "But a lot of that stuff obviously just wasn't serious.

Looking to minimize other disruptions: Optimism is running low that a DHS funding deal can be reached by the February 13 deadline. Thune told reporters he is prepared to take procedural steps early next week to set up another stopgap bill extending DHS funding. The GOP leader has also suggested that the best way to resolve the DHS standoff is with a full-year continuing resolution that keeps current funding levels in place through September. House Democrats, meanwhile, may soon introduce a DHS funding bill that excludes money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Trump Admin Makes It Easier to Fire Thousands of Federal Workers

In its ongoing quest to shrink the federal government, the Trump administration on Thursday issued a final rule that would reclassify roughly 50,000 federal employees, making it easier to fire them by stripping them of civil service protections.

In a move affecting about 2% of the federal workforce, some career employees who work in policy-related areas will now be classified as at-will employees. The Office of Personnel Management said the rule is intended to "increase career employee accountability."

"These positions will remain career jobs filled on a nonpartisan basis," OPM said. "Yet they will be at-will positions excepted from adverse action procedures or appeals. This will allow agencies to quickly remove employees from critical positions who engage in misconduct, perform poorly, or obstruct the democratic process by intentionally subverting Presidential directives."

The effort to reclassify federal employees dates back to the first Trump administration. In 2020, President Trump attempted to create a new class of federal employees, known as Schedule F, but President Biden reversed Trump's order and put in place new rules that bolstered civil service protections. OPM's new rule rescinds the Biden rule change and creates a new classification for federal employees called Schedule Policy/Career.

Officials at OPM have said the reclassification aims to crack down on dissent within the federal government, including resistance to implementing Trump policies. "We have a boatload of empirical data that there is misconduct and policy resistance among career civil servants," an OPM official told Government Executive.

The new rule is scheduled to take effect on March 8, but unions representing federal workers have vowed to sue to stop it. Skye Perryman, CEO of Democracy Forward, which is representing some employee groups, said the rule "opens the door to politically motivated firings and hirings, which have already occurred since President Trump took office."

Max Stier, who leads the Partnership for Public Service, a nonpartisan group that promotes good governance, said the OPM rule is reminiscent of the 19th-century spoils system that once defined the federal workforce.

"No matter what the administration says, today's action has nothing to do with restoring merit in federal employment," Stier told Government Executive. "This new designation can be used to remove expert career federal employees who place the law and service to the public ahead of blind loyalty and replace them with political supporters who will unquestioningly do the president's bidding."

Job Openings Drop, Trump Disapproval Rating on Economy Hits High

Job openings in December dropped to their lowest level since the fall of 2020, during the height of the Covid pandemic, the Labor Department said Thursday.

U.S. employers listed 6.54 million vacancies in December, down from 6.93 million the month before. The results were weaker than expected.

Layoffs edged higher in December, as well, as employers cut 1.76 million workers, up from 1.70 million the month before.

The sharp drop in job openings and modest increase in layoffs occurred despite strong economic growth, providing more evidence that the labor market has diverged from the overall economy. The payroll processing firm ADP reported this week that private firms added just 22,000 jobs in January.

"Job creation took a step back in 2025, with private employers adding 398,000 jobs, down from 771,000 in 2024," said Dr. Nela Richardson, ADP's chief economist. Richardson added that she's seen "a continuous and dramatic slowdown in job creation for the past three years," even though wage growth has held steady.

Trump disapproval rises: The sluggish jobs market may have something to do with declining approval ratings for President Trump's handling of the economy. In an NPR/PBS News/Marist poll released Thursday, just 36% of respondents said they approve of Trump's handling of the economy while 59% said they disapprove. The disapproval rating is now at its highest level in either of Trump's two administrations.

RSM Chief Economist Joe Brusuelas offered some insight as to why so many Americans are feeling down on the economy, telling Politico that the weak job market indicates that companies are learning to do more with less. "That's fine when you're talking to an economist or capital markets professional," Brusuelas said, but "that's hell if you're talking to a politician or the public."

Quote of the Day

"That is up to the president."

  • Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in part of a testy exchange with Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren during his testimony Thursday before the Senate Banking Committee. Warren had asked Bessent about Trump's recent remark - apparently a joke - that he would sue Kevin Warsh, his nominee to head the Federal Reserve, if Warsh did not lower interest rates.

"This should be an easy one, Mr. Secretary," Warren asked. "Can you commit right here and now that Trump's Fed nominee, Kevin Warsh, will not be sued, will not be investigated by the Department of Justice if he doesn't cut interest rates exactly the way that Donald Trump wants?"

A pugnacious Bessent offered the response above and then he and Warren talked over each other. "That was supposed to be the softball!" Warren said as Bessent acknowledged that the president's comment was a joke and repeated another joke the president had made about Warren. "I don't think the American people are laughing," Warren concluded. "They're the ones who are struggling with affordability."

You can watch the exchange here.

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