Protecting the Deep State: Biden admin files proposal to protect unelected gov't workers from dismissal in case of 2024 GOP victory

By lauraharris // 2023-09-20

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The Biden administration has filed a proposal preventing all unelected federal bureaucrats from being dismissed without cause in case of a Republican victory in the 2024 presidential elections. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), an independent agency overseeing all federal workers, filed the proposal with the Federal Register on Sept. 15. Based on the filing, a disagreement with leadership without defiance of lawful orders should not qualify as misconduct or unacceptable performance. "The 2.2 million career civil servants active today are the backbone of the federal workforce," the filing read. "These employees take an oath to uphold the Constitution and are accountable to agency leaders and managers who, in turn, are accountable to the president." Unlike political appointees, civil servants cannot be dismissed by the president or their designees at will. But under Title V, Section 7513 of the U.S. Code, the OPM must file a written notice to a dismissed employee at least 30 days before the termination. In return, the employee must respond and provide defense evidence at least seven days after receiving the notice. After receiving the reply, the office must also write a decision with valid reasons for the dismissal as soon as possible or even hold a hearing. Meanwhile, the dismissed employee can have a lawyer or representative throughout the process. The employee can also appeal to the OPM's Merit Systems Protection Board in case of disagreement with the decision. Under the new proposal, career civil servants who have been reclassified into the excluded service maintain the same civil service protections they had when they were initially hired. It would also add new procedures that are required to move bureaucrats into the excepted service.

OPM proposal just a speed bump in GOP's plan to dismantle the Deep State

But James Sherk, a former White House staffer during the Trump administration, expressed doubt that the OPM's rule would have an impact if the GOP does win in 2024. "The next administration can just as easily rescind those restrictions," he said. "This proposed rule would be a speed bump, but nothing more." The proposal appears to be a response to the GOP's promise to target the Deep State in the event of an electoral victory in 2024. Several candidates, including former President Donald Trump himself, have voiced this commitment. In 2020, Trump issued an executive order dubbed "Schedule F" – which his successor, President Joe Biden, swiftly revoked. Under this classification, political appointees would contain most policy-making positions in the higher echelons of the federal government. (Related: Steve Bonta: Deep State wants Trump BEHIND BARS.) He later renewed his pledge to revive Schedule F to strip civil-service protections from federal employees. In a video message posted on Rumble, Trump reiterated his intent to remove bureaucrats from national security and law-enforcement agencies. He accused these bureaucrats of "persecuting" conservatives. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has also followed suit, pledging to take swift action on federal employees abusing their power. He told conservative pundit Hugh Hewitt in an interview: "I don't buy this idea that the president cannot remove a 'career' person. When they're abusing power and they're going outside of what is appropriate, they absolutely should be terminated –and terminated swiftly." Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy also voiced out his intent to dismiss a significant portion of the federal workforce if elected, even setting a target of 75 percent. "The myth that has been taken for granted in our national history is that the president is limited in his ability to fire [federal] employees," he said in a speech. "Large-scale reductions in force are not covered by the statute." Follow DeepState.news for more news about the Deep State in America. Watch the full conversation between Paul Dragu and Steve Bonta about former President Donald Trump's indictment below. This video is from The New American channel on Brighteon.com.

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OPM proposal just a speed bump in GOP's plan to dismantle the Deep State

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