Former President Donald Trump has outlined his plans to significantly reshape the federal government if he were to return to the White House, including the deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants, the abolition of government agencies, and the replacement of tens of thousands of workers with loyalists. Liberal organizations in Washington are backing President Joe Biden in the hopes that Trump will not secure a second term. However, they are quietly working to establish roadblocks in case he does.
A coalition of activists, advocates, and legal experts is advocating for new federal rules to limit presidential power while urging the Biden administration to take further steps to safeguard his accomplishments and limit the potential impact of a second Trump term. This effort is occurring with considerably less attention than the Trump supporters' endeavor called 'Project 2025,' which aims to establish a conservative government-in-waiting.
One key aspect of the campaign is the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) plan to finalize a rule by April that would restrict the reclassification of tens of thousands of workers to make it easier for them to be fired, according to OPM spokesperson Viet Tran. Undoing such a rule would likely require months or even years for a future administration. However, it is important to note that the effectiveness of these efforts is limited.
Michael Linden, a former executive associate director of the White House Office of Management and Budget under Biden, acknowledges that the Biden administration is taking the potential threat seriously and making efforts to counter it. However, he cautions against assuming that there is a foolproof solution to preventing a future president from implementing damaging policies. Linden emphasized, 'There isn't any magic bullet.'
The White House is understandably reluctant to discuss plans for a potential second Trump term before the election, as it could imply that they lack confidence in Biden's victory. Nonetheless, some experts are urging Biden to issue executive orders that could curtail the domestic use of the military, considering Trump's previous remarks about deploying troops to the southern border or Democrat-run cities grappling with rising crime rates.
A crucial element for both Trump's plans and the Democratic efforts to obstruct him is determining the number of government workers that can be removed by a new administration to make room for loyalists. During the end of his term, Trump attempted to reclassify thousands of federal employees under a new designation known as 'Schedule F,' which would have stripped them of job protections. Approximately 4,000 federal employees currently fall under political appointees who generally change with each administration, but creating Schedule F could have increased that number tenfold. Although Biden revoked this order, Trump has stated his intention to revive it if he were to be reelected.
The conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, which is leading 'Project 2025,' has expressed its desire to bring about a 'destruction' in government. Kevin Roberts, the president of Heritage, remarked, 'People will lose their jobs. Hopefully, their lives are able to flourish in spite of that... Buildings will be shut down. Hopefully, they can be repurposed for private industry.' However, the campaign has not responded to requests for comment.
While the Democratic efforts aim to limit the use of executive power, conservative organizations are also strategizing on the best ways to fire employees to make space for Trump appointees. The OPM proposed a rule in September to make it more difficult to reclassify employees and to ensure that those moved into a potential 'Schedule F' retain their protections against termination. This proposal has garnered support from 27 advocacy organizations, despite varying policy interests.
Additionally, many liberals are advocating for an OPM rule that could slow down future executive branch orders to relocate government agencies. This proposal emerged from the Trump administration's announcement to relocate agencies within the Department of Agriculture from Washington to Kansas City and the Bureau of Land Management from Washington to Grand Junction, Colorado. Federal rules, once established, can be the subject of lawsuits, as was the case during Trump's presidency where numerous lawsuits were filed to challenge his policies, ranging from immigration to the environment.
Congress has also passed measures in response to issues that arose during the Trump administration, including prohibiting presidents from unilaterally withdrawing the U.S. from NATO and strengthening the Electoral Count Act, which Trump sought to challenge during the events of January 6, 2021.
Advocates argue that Biden has multiple options to counter the potential policies of a second Trump term, such as promoting expanded collective bargaining agreements with federal personnel and designating more government posts as policy-dedicated, making it harder to fire employees. Ultimately, these efforts aim to ensure good governance and continuity across different administrations, regardless of who occupies the White House in the future.
