# 2026-11594: New Rules Aim to Ease Firing of Policy Employees

2026-11594, Implementing Schedule Policy/Career in the Excepted Service, is a Federal Register presidential document from Executive Office of the President published 2026-06-10, effective 2026-06-03; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-04).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-11594
- As of: 2026-11-04
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-11594
- Title: Implementing Schedule Policy/Career in the Excepted Service
- Type: Presidential Document
- Agencies: Executive Office of the President
- Citation: 91 FR 34893
- Published: 2026-06-10
- Effective: 2026-06-03
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-11-04

## In one line

New Rules Aim to Ease Firing of Policy Employees

## Summary

This new rule affects federal employees in important policy jobs, making it easier to remove those who don’t do their jobs well while still hiring based on merit, not politics. Starting now, these policy-focused career roles will have clearer rules for accountability and rewards for great work. This change helps keep the government effective and fair, with no extra costs or delays announced.

## Effects PRIA read

- Easier Removal for Policy Employees: cost, high. If you hold a federal policy-influencing position moved into Schedule Policy/Career, your agency may separate you for unacceptable performance or misconduct under a new 5 CFR provision that expressly allows separation when the agency identifies such grounds in a written notice. The Executive Order…
- Separate Bonus Pools and Presidential Awards: benefit, medium. Heads of agencies with Schedule Policy/Career employees must set aside a separate bonus pool to reward outstanding work, consistent with 5 CFR Part 451. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must promptly begin rulemaking under 5 U.S.C. 4504 and 4506 to create a Presidential award program for th…
- Retention of Competitive Status on Listing: benefit, medium. If you already had competitive status when your position was first listed under Schedule Policy/Career, you remain in the excepted service but retain your competitive status under the amended Civil Service Rule (change to 5 CFR 1.3).
- One-Year Rule to Gain Competitive Status: benefit, medium. If you were in the competitive service and serving a probationary period when your position was first listed under Schedule Policy/Career, you will acquire competitive status after satisfactorily completing 1 year of current continuous service in that position, under the amended 5 CFR 3.1(a).
- Merit Hiring and Veteran Preference Required: benefit, low. When appointing someone to Schedule Policy/Career, each agency must follow OPM-prescribed merit-based hiring procedures and apply the principle of veteran preference 'as far as administratively feasible' under the amended 5 CFR 6.2. OPM will publish an annual list of excepted positions.

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## Sources
- [2026-11594 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/10/2026-11594/implementing-schedule-policycareer-in-the-excepted-service)
- [2026-11594 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-06-10/pdf/2026-11594.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-11415, Promoting Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Security](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-11415)
- [Next: 2026-11595, Strengthening Customs Enforcement](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-11595)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-11594 (as of 2026-11-04).