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How to Add Your Voice to the Schedule Policy/Career Debate

May 15, 2025

We created this page because thousands of federal employees have asked the same question: “I’m worried—how do I actually tell OPM what this rule will do to my career?” The process is easier than you might think, and every individual comment becomes part of the official record that courts, Congress, and future administrations will review. Below is everything you need to know, in plain English and one sitting.

1. What’s happening—and why it matters

On January 20, 2025, Executive Order 14171 instructed the Office of Personnel Management to revive “Schedule F” under a new name—Schedule Policy/Career. The proposed rule (docket OPM-2025-0004-0001) would let agencies reclassify any job with even a whiff of “policy influence” into the excepted service. If finalized, affected employees would lose competitive-service due-process rights, MSPB appeal protections, and, in many cases, meaningful notice before termination.

OPM says about 50,000 positions are at stake. Internal agency briefings suggest the real number could be several times higher, covering analysts, scientists, human-resources specialists, attorneys, and countless support staff whose work informs policy. In short, the rule would shift large parts of the career civil service into at-will employment and erase 140 years of merit-system safeguards.

The public-comment period closes Thursday, May 23, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET. After that, OPM may finalize the rule—unless the record shows overwhelming, specific, and well-reasoned opposition.

2. How to submit a comment in five minutes

Open your browser and go to regulations.gov. In the search bar, type “OPM-2025-0004-0001” and hit Enter. The first result should be Improving Performance, Accountability, and Responsiveness in the Civil Service. Or click here:https://www.regulations.gov/document/OPM-2025-0004-0001 Then click the blue “Comment” button.

A form will appear asking for your name (you may comment anonymously), organization, and email. The large text box is where you paste or type your statement. When you are done, check the certification box, click “Submit”, and wait for the confirmation screen. You will receive a tracking number by email; save it for your records.

3. What to say—substance over slogans

OPM’s analysts must read and categorize every unique argument. Copy-and-paste campaigns are tallied but rarely sway outcomes. Instead, craft a short, personal narrative that answers three questions:

Who are you? Identify your role and years of service. If you write as a private citizen, explain your connection to the federal mission.
How would the rule harm (or help) that mission? Describe concrete tasks—inspecting food plants, certifying aircraft parts, processing veterans’ claims—and how politicizing the job could delay, distort, or derail them.
What change do you seek? Ask OPM to withdraw the rule, tighten the definition of “policy-making,” or exempt specific categories.

A clear paragraph on each point is plenty. Avoid classified, proprietary, or personally identifying information you do not want posted online. Stay civil; profanity and threats undercut credibility.

4. A sample structure you can adapt

I am a GS-13 epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. My team produces weekly analytical memos that guide state health departments on emerging flu strains.

If my position is moved into Schedule Policy/Career, I could be removed without notice for reporting inconvenient data. That threat would chill scientific integrity, delay publication of life-saving guidance, and erode public trust.

I urge OPM to withdraw the rule or, at minimum, exempt positions that require professional licensure or are governed by the Scientific Integrity Directive (65 Fed. Reg. 7876). Protecting impartial science protects the American public.

Feel free to use different examples—budget analysis, cybersecurity, procurement oversight, whatever reflects your work.

Adding your voice takes five minutes. Losing your civil-service rights could take a lifetime to undo. Please follow the steps above, and help protect a merit system that has served the American people for more than a century.

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