The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has instituted an 80-hour course for bureaucrats targeting the Senior Executive Service (SES) positions, according to a new memo. Senior federal executives work under the president’s appointees, making their positions policy-influencing and subject to a slew of Trump’s executive orders. Starting this September, the course will teach the U.S. Constitution’s “Founding ideals of our government” to induct bureaucrats on upholding the law and serving Americans better. They will also learn about various Trump’s executive orders.
The course says its objectives are to “Ensure that SES officials uphold the Constitution and the rule of law and effectively serve the American people.” The Trump administration employees and bureaucrats across various federal agencies will be required to take the online course, which culminates in two days of personal training at Washington, D.C.
During his campaigns, President Trump lamented the sprawling bureaucracy that held policy hostage during his first administration and promised to dismantle the ever-growing branch that has increasingly become semi-autonomous. On January 20, he signed the “Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce” Executive Order 14171 to restore “professionalism and accountability within the civil service.” It also sought to re-establish the President’s sole authority over the executive branch, including the federal workforce.
According to a recent poll by the Napolitan Institute, over three-quarters (76%) of federal bureaucrats in senior leadership positions who voted for Kamala Harris vowed to resist Trump throughout his presidency. Similarly, 75% of Kamala-voting senior federal bureaucrats said they would disobey legal orders when tasked with implementing a federal policy they disagreed with and “do what they thought was best.” Meanwhile, President Trump has already taken significant steps to dismantle the rogue bureaucracy by removing federal protections for SES employees and setting new standards, with emphasis on no participation trophies. Trump’s Executive order had warned that only a quarter (26%) of senior supervisors believed they could fire federal employees for appalling performance.
According to the new OPM memo, progression to the SES position will soon be solely merit-based without diversity considerations, coupled with the candidate’s clear demonstration of “upholding the principles of the American Founding, including equality under the law and democratic self-government.” The memo also suggested a more streamlined hiring process by striking out the narrative essay, thereby reducing the hiring document from ten pages to just two. The narrative essay was used to demonstrate the candidate’s mastery of Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs), which included the ability to influence change, build coalitions, and lead people. These requirements also include the ability to “foster diversity.” With Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) out the door, the narrative essay was rendered unnecessary under the Trump administration’s proposed hiring criteria.
Additionally, more non-career bureaucrats will be added to the Executive Review Boards, which are responsible for assessing, hiring, and managing senior federal managers. By doing so, Trump will dismantle the bureaucratic pipeline that ensures only well-connected federal employees progress to senior management positions. According to the memo, the new changes will ensure that the president’s policies are effectively implemented. While neutral in its contents, leftists suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome will claim the course aims to indoctrinate federal employees with pro-Trump ideology.
How sad is it that our President and staff feel that people yielding power and authority in government need to learn the basics of our Constitution. Many now think THE 45 COMMUNIST GOALS AS READ INTO THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD are their set of laws to follow and know little of our founding fathers work on the Constitution that has created the greatest nation on earth, while protecting its citizens from a Rogue party, (democrats)