Republican bill makes it easier for Trump to fire federal workers

The House Republican budget bill passed on May 23 would require new federal workers to choose between stronger job protections or larger paychecks.

The American Prospect first reported on the provision, which would allow new federal workers to choose at-will employment—meaning they could be fired at any time and without cause. Those who don’t choose at-will status would have to pay more into the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS).

Current federal workers contribute 4.4% of their salary to FERS. Under the provision, non-at-will employees would see that figure rise to 9.4%, without any change to their benefits.

The provision would allow federal workers to forgo protections created by the Pendleton Civil Servant Reform Act of 1883, which established that most federal hirings and firing decisions would be based on merit, not political loyalty.

The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE), an advocacy group for public workers, warns this change could lead to malfeasance.

“The merit-based civil service does not exist to protect federal employees; it exists to protect against cronyism and corruption in the civil service and fill the ranks of government with qualified individuals,” NARFE said. “Congress should protect merit-based civil service, not encourage employees to undermine it.”

President Donald Trump has attempted to fire thousands of federal workers since taking office in January. Some federal workers and unions have sued, resulting in some of those firings being paused or blocked by the judiciary. The bill would effectively eliminate those legal barriers, since employees who choose at-will status wouldn’t have the right to challenge their dismissals.

Trump’s purge of federal workers was foretold by Project 2025, which explicitly calls for reclassifying federal workers as at-will employees and firing anyone who is not aligned with the president’s agenda.

The bill, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed the House with only Republican votes. The Senate is now marking up the bill and will send it back to the House for approval. As of now, there is no indication that the at-will provision will be dropped from the legislation.

Trump has said he hopes to sign the bill by July 4.