State Department widens effort to move more staff into at-will Schedule P/C status

An executive order signed in June rebranded the former Schedule F category as Schedule Policy/Career, initially moving 8,000 federal workers into an at-will status that limits appeal rights and redirects whistleblower investigations to the employing agency. The State Department is expanding that effort, focusing on GS-13 and GS-14 roles that involve formulating foreign policy, drafting executive documents, or representing the department in high-level negotiations.

A short questionnaire is being used to assess whether employees meet these criteria, and the department has already reclassified several senior foreign-affairs officers. While the Office of Personnel Management had projected up to 50,000 workers could fall under the new schedule, the current focus remains on senior-level policy officials. Employees expressed concern that the at-will designation may discourage frank advice contrary to the administration’s agenda. Agency officials declined to comment on internal personnel deliberations.