The Federal Workforce
Spencer Chretien
Associate Director, Project 2025
Kaitlin Stumpf
Senior Job Bank Associate, Heritage Foundation
Project 2025 is Organized into Four Pillars
- Pillar #1 - Policy Book: Outline a conservative vision of success
- Pillar #2 - Personnel Database: Identify and recruit the best talent from Across America
- Pillar #3 - Prepare political appointees to be ready on Day 1
- Pillar #4 - Playbook: Game Plan for each federal agency through first six months
Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation (PAS)
- Created by statute
- Salary set by law
- Top tier of political appointments
Presidential Appointment Without Senate Confirmation (PA)
- Senior Level Positions, including jobs within the executive office such as senior White House aides. Example: US Treasurer
Schedule C
- Refers to excepted Federal service that is confidential or policy-setting in nature
- Schedule C appointees are generally the largest category of political appointees
Senior Executive Service (SES)
- Established in the 1970s under President Carter
- Provides a set number of well-qualified executive positions in government, above the normal federal civil workforce
The December 2020 Plum Book
- 1118 PAS positions
- 354 PA positions
- 724 non-career SES positions
- 1566 Schedule C positions
- Total: 3762
The Office of Presidential Personnel (PPO): What do they do?
- Identify, recruit, and evaluate candidates for all political appointments and nominations across the government
The Office of Presidential Personnel (PPO): What do they do?
- Set HR policy for all Federal employees
- Decide on the number of political appointees
- Determine what positions, if any, are reserved for career federal employees - and why.
- Determine which federal employees are considered “essential”
- Under what authority should non-career federal employees be hired?
- Govern the process for converting a Schedule C political appointee into career federal civil servant