How Trump Plans to Consolidate Government Control by Dismantling the ‘Deep State’ Reuters

By James Oliphant and Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President-elect Donald Trump is poised to take more control of the federal government than any modern president before him when he takes office on Monday, moving forward with plans to dismantle what he and his allies call the “deep state,” according to two sources familiar with the transition discussions.

The effort could begin as soon as Trump’s first day in office, according to one of the sources, with an executive order aimed at stripping job protections from an estimated 50,000 career federal employees, allowing them to be replaced by hand-picked loyal employees.

The Trump administration will also seek to fill thousands of political appointments in the government as soon as possible, another source told Reuters.

The goal is to insert political loyalists deep into the workings of government, perhaps more so than any other recent president.

In a harbinger of what may lie ahead, Trump’s team has asked for the resignations of three senior career diplomats overseeing the US State Department’s workforce and internal coordination, Reuters reported this week.

Trump’s allies blame bureaucrats they consider disloyal for thwarting his agenda during his first term in the White House with slow initiatives at the Justice Department, Education Department and other agencies.

Nearly a dozen of Trump’s top appointees for his second term have been given express mandates to shake up the federal workforce or have expressed support for those plans, according to staff announcements and media interviews reviewed by Reuters.

Russell Vought, who Trump nominated to return as director of the Office of Management and Budget, played a central role in drafting the previous version of the reclassification order, known as Schedule F, as Trump left office in 2020.

A revived Schedule F executive order would allow agency officials to reclassify positions from career to political appointments, said one of the sources familiar with the transition planning.

This would allow agencies to fire and replace professional employees without reason.

Vought will be assisted during Trump’s second term by Sergio Gor, who has been nominated to head the White House’s personnel office.

LINES OF FIRE

Others tasked with rooting out the “deep state” include Pam Bondi, attorney general nominee, possible next FBI director Kash Patel, secretary of state nominee Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz, education nominee Linda McMahon, and Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who will lead Trump’s government efficiency efforts, according to a Reuters report.

When asked, Trump’s transition team declined to provide details on the timeline for the planned turnaround, which could take months due to federal rulemaking procedures.

“The Trump administration will have room for people to serve in government who are committed to defending the rights of the American people, putting America first and ensuring the best use of tax dollars for working men and women,” said spokesman Brian Hughes.

Critics and unions representing federal workers say there is no such thing as a “deep state” and that Trump and his allies are spreading the conspiracy theory to justify the hijacking of executive power.

James Eisenmann, a lawyer and expert on federal workforce policy, said in an interview that Trump is under the delusion that most government employees have ideological goals, and noted that under current law, non-performing or insubordinate workers can be fired.

Schedule F, he said, would create a culture of silence and fear that could affect business performance.

“People will be afraid to speak up or even suggest something useful for fear of being fired,” Eisenmann said. “When people are afraid, it’s not easy to get them to do something.”

Steve Lenkart, executive director of the National Federation of Federal Employees, said in an interview that the goal of the new classification is to create a “secret police” within the federal government.

“The incoming administration admits it will use Schedule F to subject professional employees to tests of professional or political loyalty and to get rid of undesirables,” he said.

Hughes, the Trump transition spokesman, did not respond to questions about what role each candidate would play in carrying out Trump’s agenda, or to the “secret police” allegations.

FINDING GOALS

During Wednesday’s Senate confirmation hearing, Vought and Bondi expressed support for the policy behind Annex F.

Vought testified that he believed parts of the federal government were “weaponized.”

He declined to answer questions about whether he advised Trump to implement mass layoffs, but said reclassifying career employees would ensure the president has individuals in policymaking roles “who respond to his views, his agenda.”

Bondi said during the hearing that special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump was evidence of bias within the Justice Department.

She promised not to use the department to target people based on their politics, but avoided direct questions about the investigation of Trump’s political opponents.

Biden’s Justice Department has long denied that it brought criminal proceedings against Trump for political reasons. She did not respond to a request for comment Friday.

The process of identifying members of the federal bureaucracy whose views might differ from the new administration has already begun.

In December, the American Accountability Foundation, which is backed by the conservative Heritage Foundation, sent a letter to Pentagon nominee Pete Hegseth naming 20 leaders in the US military who it believes are too focused on diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Outgoing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin defended such efforts, saying a diverse military reflects the diversity of the United States.

The Pentagon referred a request for comment to Trump’s transition team.

The American Accountability Foundation also posted on its website a list of “Top Targets” of career employees at the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice who it says are resistant to increased border security efforts.

More names will be forthcoming, said Yitz Friedman, a spokesman for the group.