Implementing Schedule Policy/Career in the Excepted Service

Title 3— The President Executive Order 14410 of June 3, 2026 Implementing Schedule Policy/Career in the Excepted Service By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including sections 3301, 3302, 5595 and 7511 of title 5, United States Code, it is hereby ordered: Section 1 . Purpose. The President relies on subordinates in the executive branch to help him faithfully execute the laws and advance the priorities for which he was elected by the American people. Officials in confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, and policy-advocating roles (policy-influencing positions) play particularly important roles in helping him fulfill this constitutional duty. Therefore, ensuring that such employees can be removed for misconduct or poor performance is essential to protecting democratic self-government by an elected President. To enhance accountability in these policy-influencing positions, Executive Order 13957 of October 21, 2020 (Creating Schedule F in the Excepted Service), as amended by Executive Order 14171 of January 20, 2025 (Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce), created Schedule Policy/Career in the excepted service. Schedule Policy/Career positions are policy-influencing career positions that will be filled based on merit and not political affiliation. At the same time, Schedule Policy/Career positions are exempted from the adverse action procedures that make removals for poor performance or misconduct so difficult that barely two-fifths of Federal supervisors believe they could remove subordinates who engage in serious misconduct, and only a quarter believe they could remove serious underperformers. Further, two-thirds of senior Federal executives report that their agencies rarely or never reassign or dismiss underperforming managers. Senior policy-influencing positions must be transferred into Schedule Policy/Career to increase accountability in such positions. This order effectuates these transfers and amends the Civil Service Rules and Regulations and previous Executive Orders to implement Schedule Policy/Career. In addition to ensuring accountability for poor performance, this order also advances merit in the Federal civil service by directing executive departments and agencies (agencies) to appropriately recognize and reward Schedule Policy/Career employees for outstanding work. Sec. 2 . Amendments to the Civil Service Rules and Regulations. (a) Civil Service Rule I is amended by removing the text of 5 CFR 1.3(d) that follows the words “ Provided, that an employee who is in the competitive service” and adding in its place “with competitive status at the time his position is first listed under Schedule A, B, C, Policy/Career or G shall be in the excepted service but shall retain his competitive status.” (b) Civil Service Rule III is amended by adding at the end of 5 CFR 3.1(a) a new paragraph 5 that reads: “(5) An employee whose initial appointment was to a Pathways Program position in Schedule D of the excepted service, and who was subsequently converted to a position in Schedule Policy/Career, with or without an intervening term appointment, and without a break in service of one day.” (c) Civil Service Rule VI is amended as follows: (i) 5 CFR 6.2 is amended by: (A) revising the first sentence to read: “OPM shall publish at least annually a list of the positions excepted from the competitive service in the following schedules, which constitute parts of this rule:”; and (B) revising the second sentence of the paragraph labeled “Schedule Policy/Career” to read: “In appointing an individual to a position in Schedule Policy/Career, each agency shall follow merit-based hiring procedures as may be prescribed by OPM and shall follow the principle of veteran preference as far as administratively feasible.” (ii) 5 CFR 6.8 is amended by adding a new subsection (e) to read: “(e) An employee in the competitive service serving a probationary period when his position is first listed under Schedule Policy/Career of the excepted service shall acquire competitive status upon satisfactorily completing 1 year of current continuous service in that position.” (d) Civil Service Rule XI is amended by revising 5 CFR 11.3(a) by removing the period at the end and inserting in its place the following text: “; provided that individuals appointed to positions in Schedule C, Schedule E, Schedule Policy/Career, and Schedule G are not subject to trial periods.” (e) Subsection (c) of the definition of “Qualifying appointment” at 5 CFR 550.703 is revised to read: “(c) An excepted appointment without time limitation, except under Schedule C or Schedule G, or another noncareer appointment.” (f) 5 CFR 550.704(b) is amended by striking “or” at the end of subparagraph (4), striking the period at the end of subparagraph (5) and inserting “; or” in its place, and adding a new subparagraph (6) as follows: “(6) Occupies a position in Schedule Policy/Career of the excepted service and his or her agency identifies unacceptable performance or misconduct as the basis for separation in a written notice to the employee.” (g) Within 60 days of the date of this order the Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall take steps to prepare and issue revisions that remove or update, as applicable, obsolete provisions of the Civil Service Rules that do not substantively affect agency operations. Sec. 3 . Amendments to Executive Orders. (a) Executive Order 13957, as amended by Executive Order 14171, is further amended as follows: (i) by removing the fourth paragraph of section 1; and (ii) by amending section 5(a) by removing everything that follows “Following such reviews each agency head” and inserting in its place: “shall petition the Director to recommend that the President place in Schedule Policy/Career any such competitive service, Schedule A, Schedule B, or Schedule D positions within the agency that the agency head determines to be of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character and that are not normally subject to change as a result of a Presidential transition. Any such petition shall include a written explanation documenting the basis for the agency head's determination that such position should be placed in Schedule Policy/Career.” (b) Executive Order 13562 of December 27, 2010 (Recruiting and Hiring Students and Recent Graduates), as amended by Executive Order 14217 of February 19, 2025 (Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy), is further amended by adding a new sentence at the end of section 5(c): “Such career appointments may include positions in Schedule Policy/Career, subject to review by OPM.” Sec. 4 . Performance Awards. (a) Consistent with 5 CFR Part 451 and applicable law, the head of each agency with employees in Schedule Policy/Career is directed to set aside a separate bonus pool, and use existing award authorities, to ensure that Schedule Policy/Career employees are appropriately recognized and rewarded for outstanding work. (b) The Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall promptly initiate a rulemaking pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 4504 and 4506 to create a Presidential award program for Schedule Policy/Career employees. Sec. 5 . Schedule Policy/Career Determination and Transfer. (a) The positions set forth in the Appendix to this order are determined to have a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character. It is further determined that it is necessary and warranted by conditions of good administration to except these positions from the competitive service because of their confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character. (b) The positions set forth in the Appendix to this order are hereby placed in Schedule Policy/Career of the excepted service. Subsequent changes to a listed position description's numbering or a position's organizational realignment do not alter its placement in Schedule Policy/Career. (c) The head of each agency with positions covered by subsection (b) of this section shall within 7 days of the date of this order: (i) notify officers or employees encumbering such positions of their placement in Schedule Policy/Career; and (ii) conform agency records and practices to reflect the changes made by this order. Sec. 6 . General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or (ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations. (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. (d) If any provision of this order, or the application of any provision to any person or circumstances, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this order and the application of any of its other provisions to any other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby. (e) The costs for publication of this order shall be borne by the Office of Personnel Management. Trump.EPS   THE WHITE HOUSE, June 3, 2026. Billing code 6325-38-P ED10JN26.200 ED10JN26.201 ED10JN26.202 ED10JN26.203 ED10JN26.204 ED10JN26.205 ED10JN26.206 ED10JN26.207 ED10JN26.208 ED10JN26.209 ED10JN26.210 ED10JN26.211 ED10JN26.212 ED10JN26.213 ED10JN26.214 ED10JN26.215 ED10JN26.216 ED10JN26.217 ED10JN26.218 ED10JN26.219 ED10JN26.220 ED10JN26.221 ED10JN26.222 ED10JN26.223 ED10JN26.224 ED10JN26.225 ED10JN26.226 ED10JN26.227 ED10JN26.228 ED10JN26.229 ED10JN26.230 ED10JN26.231 ED10JN26.232 ED10JN26.233 ED10JN26.234 ED10JN26.235 ED10JN26.236 ED10JN26.237 ED10JN26.238 ED10JN26.239 ED10JN26.240 ED10JN26.241 ED10JN26.242 ED10JN26.243 ED10JN26.244 ED10JN26.245 ED10JN26.246 ED10JN26.247 ED10JN26.248 ED10JN26.249 ED10JN26.250 ED10JN26.251 ED10JN26.252 ED10JN26.253 ED10JN26.254 ED10JN26.255 ED10JN26.256 ED10JN26.257 ED10JN26.258 ED10JN26.259 ED10JN26.260 ED10JN26.261 ED10JN26.262 ED10JN26.263 ED10JN26.264 ED10JN26.265 ED10JN26.266 ED10JN26.267 ED10JN26.268 ED10JN26.269 ED10JN26.270 ED10JN26.271 ED10JN26.272 ED10JN26.273 ED10JN26.274 ED10JN26.275 ED10JN26.276 ED10JN26.277 ED10JN26.278 ED10JN26.279 ED10JN26.280 ED10JN26.281 ED10JN26.282 ED10JN26.283 ED10JN26.284 ED10JN26.285 ED10JN26.286 ED10JN26.287 ED10JN26.288 ED10JN26.289 ED10JN26.290 ED10JN26.291 ED10JN26.292 ED10JN26.293 ED10JN26.294 ED10JN26.295 ED10JN26.296 ED10JN26.297 ED10JN26.298 ED10JN26.299 ED10JN26.300 ED10JN26.301 ED10JN26.302 ED10JN26.303 ED10JN26.304 ED10JN26.305 ED10JN26.306 ED10JN26.307 ED10JN26.308 ED10JN26.309 ED10JN26.310 ED10JN26.311 ED10JN26.312 ED10JN26.313 ED10JN26.314 ED10JN26.315 ED10JN26.316 ED10JN26.317 ED10JN26.318 ED10JN26.319 ED10JN26.320 ED10JN26.321 ED10JN26.322 ED10JN26.323 ED10JN26.324 ED10JN26.325 ED10JN26.326 ED10JN26.327 ED10JN26.328 ED10JN26.329 ED10JN26.330 ED10JN26.331 ED10JN26.332 ED10JN26.333 ED10JN26.334 ED10JN26.335 ED10JN26.336 ED10JN26.337 ED10JN26.338 ED10JN26.339 ED10JN26.340 ED10JN26.341 ED10JN26.342 ED10JN26.343 ED10JN26.344 ED10JN26.345 ED10JN26.346 ED10JN26.347 ED10JN26.348 ED10JN26.349 ED10JN26.350 ED10JN26.351 ED10JN26.352 ED10JN26.353 ED10JN26.354 ED10JN26.355 ED10JN26.356 ED10JN26.357 ED10JN26.358 ED10JN26.359 ED10JN26.360 ED10JN26.361 ED10JN26.362 ED10JN26.363 ED10JN26.364 ED10JN26.365 ED10JN26.366 ED10JN26.367 ED10JN26.368 ED10JN26.369 ED10JN26.370 ED10JN26.371 ED10JN26.372 ED10JN26.373 ED10JN26.374 ED10JN26.375 ED10JN26.376 ED10JN26.377 ED10JN26.378 ED10JN26.379 ED10JN26.380 ED10JN26.381 ED10JN26.382 ED10JN26.383 ED10JN26.384 ED10JN26.385 ED10JN26.386 ED10JN26.387 ED10JN26.388 ED10JN26.389 ED10JN26.390 ED10JN26.391 ED10JN26.392 ED10JN26.393 ED10JN26.394 ED10JN26.395 ED10JN26.396 ED10JN26.397 ED10JN26.398 ED10JN26.399 ED10JN26.400 ED10JN26.401 ED10JN26.402 ED10JN26.403 ED10JN26.404 ED10JN26.405 ED10JN26.406 ED10JN26.407 ED10JN26.408 ED10JN26.409 ED10JN26.410 ED10JN26.411 ED10JN26.412 ED10JN26.413 ED10JN26.414 ED10JN26.415 ED10JN26.416 ED10JN26.417 ED10JN26.418 ED10JN26.419 ED10JN26.420 ED10JN26.421 ED10JN26.422 ED10JN26.423 ED10JN26.424 ED10JN26.425 ED10JN26.426 ED10JN26.427 ED10JN26.428 [FR Doc. 2026-11594 Filed 6-9-26; 8:45 am] Billing code 6325-39-C