President Biden just pulled the plug on one of Donald Trump’s biggest ambitions
Safeguarding the nation against a possible second Trump term is not an act of pessimism or defeatism. On the contrary, it’s a smart move that proactively addresses an unpleasant possibility while helping to ensure the nation’s continued good health. Along these lines, President Biden just took an action that protects American democracy against Trump or any wannabe-autocrat eager to steer the nation own a fast track to fascism.
On Thursday, Biden announced a new rule that he described as “a step toward combatting corruption and partisan interference to ensure civil servants are able to focus on the most important task at hand: delivering for the American people.” Not only does the rule protect 2.2 million career civil servants from political interference, but it poses a barrier to Donald Trump pursuing his perverse Schedule F fantasy, should he return to the White House in January.
Shortly before the last presidential election, in October 2020, Trump issued an executive order (“Creating Schedule F In The Excepted Service”) that would have involuntarily reclassified tens of thousands of federal workers into a new employment category known as “Schedule F.” Had Trump won, his plan was to replace these Schedule F workers with MAGA loyalists. If Trump wins in 2024, he has every intention to pursue this plan, according to reporting from Axios’ Jonathan Swan and others.
Soon after his inauguration in January 2021, Biden issued a new executive order (“Protecting the Federal Workforce”) to rescind Trump’s order. The fact that Biden did not use the existing order to install his own loyalists is concrete proof of Biden’s commitment to democracy. Now, thanks to this new rule, if Trump were to gain a second term, he would need to pursue a lengthy process to get what he wants, which could then be subject to prolonged litigation.
Biden is right to take decisive action that will help prevent a Schedule F nightmare from becoming a reality. However, the other piece of this is on us, the voters. To prevent the twice-impeached Trump from returning to the White House for a second term, voter turnout on November 5 is key. It’s not too early to make sure you, as well as your friends and relatives, are registered to vote. Visit vote.gov today for full information.
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month