The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) is urging federal employees, retirees, and supporters to back the Saving the Civil Service Act after the Trump Administration advanced a rule NARFE says would make it easier to move tens of thousands of jobs out of the competitive service and weaken long-standing merit system protections.
- Who: NARFE, representing active and retired federal employees
- What: A call to support the Saving the Civil Service Act in response to an administration personnel rule affecting competitive service status
- When: NARFE’s call to action was published Feb. 10, 2026, according to NARFE
- How many positions: NARFE says the rule is intended to ease reclassifying more than 50,000 federal employees out of the competitive service
- Why it matters: NARFE argues the change would reduce merit-based job protections and could make it easier to remove employees for reasons tied to political affiliation
- What NARFE is asking for: NARFE is encouraging supporters to contact Congress to back legislation it says would block or limit reclassification efforts that undermine competitive service protections
- Related framework: NARFE links the rule’s impact to concerns similar to those raised about “Schedule F”-style approaches, which critics say can increase political influence over career roles
NARFE’s Feb. 10 post frames the administration rule as a renewed attempt to expand the number of positions that can be shifted outside the competitive service—where many federal employees receive procedural protections tied to the merit system, including due process rights and limits on politically motivated personnel actions.
According to NARFE, the Saving the Civil Service Act is intended to reinforce statutory guardrails around federal job classifications and prevent broad reclassifications that would erode competitive service protections. NARFE’s message emphasizes that the competitive service is designed to keep hiring, promotion, and removal decisions anchored in merit-based standards rather than political considerations.
For federal employees, the practical stakes center on job security and workplace rights. Moving a position out of the competitive service can change the rules governing adverse actions, appeals, and protections from prohibited personnel practices—issues that can affect both day-to-day employment and long-term career stability.
Additional background on competitive service protections and rulemaking impacts is available via FedBrief (policy analysis): https://fedbrief.org
Source: NARFE News (Feb. 10, 2026), “Encourage Support for the Saving the Civil Service Act” — https://www.narfe.org/blog/2026/02/10/encourage-support-for-the-saving-the-civil-service-act-6/