The Supreme Court granted emergency relief in a case involving the reinstatement of roughly 16,000 federal employees. Opposition filings, including from labor groups, allege that the Office of Personnel Management directed the mass firings on a false pretext of poor performance, an action seen as enabling the Trump administration’s authoritarian agenda.

A SpaceX employee, Brian Bjelde, who played a role in downsizing Twitter’s staff, has been hired by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). This move highlights the infiltration of corporate networks associated with Elon Musk into federal personnel management, raising concerns about the politicization of government hiring and potential erosion of worker rights.

EPIC filed a FOIA lawsuit against OPM after allegations that the agency is engaging in mass surveillance of federal employees, mismanaging personal data, and deploying a government-wide email system under pressure from executive influences. The suit alleges that internal directives, including the replacement of a seasoned CIO with a 'yes-man', are intended to target dissenting employees and bypass proper security protocols.

The Acting OPM Director issued a memo directing federal agencies to reclassify Chief Human Capital Officer roles from protected, career-reserved positions to a designation that allows political appointees. This move is intended to align the civil service with the Trump administration’s political goals by undermining long-standing nonpartisan merit principles, potentially paving the way for politically loyal management in HR roles.

During an internal meeting, Trump administration officials directed OPM senior career staff to develop plans for a 70% reduction in the agency’s workforce and programs, which threatens federal services and undermines workers' rights.

In late January 2025, the Office of Personnel Management issued a memo directing federal agencies to revise their telework policies in accordance with the President’s executive order to return to in-person work. The memo stipulates that any collective bargaining agreement provisions conflicting with management rights are considered unlawful. This move has triggered significant union pushback and legal challenges, casting doubt on federal workers' rights to negotiate optimal telework arrangements.

OPM deployed a new mass email system for federal employees without conducting the required Privacy Impact Assessments and adhering to cybersecurity and procurement regulations. The system, which led to concerns about potential phishing risks and vulnerability of sensitive data, appears to have been implemented amid pressure from the Trump administration and ties to third-party interests, including connections to Elon Musk. A lawsuit has been filed alleging violations of the E-Government Act of 2002 and cyber compliance laws.

OPM, following directives from the Trump administration, offered federal workers an eight-month salary as part of a deferred resignation package. This initiative appears designed to facilitate a politically motivated purge of longstanding federal employees in order to reshape the civil service in line with authoritarian preferences.

In late January 2025, Musk's DOGE team assumed control over OPM's human resources system, resulting in over 100 tech staff losing access to a critical cloud database containing sensitive personal information of federal workers. This move is seen as part of broader efforts by the Trump administration and its allies to push through authoritarian restructuring in government agencies.

OPM officials highlighted significant reforms under the Biden administration, emphasizing increased pay equity, improved recruitment, IT acquisition success, and regulations aimed at preventing the reimplementation of Schedule F, safeguarding civil service protections.

On October 25, 2024, the Office of Personnel Management issued updated guidance reinforcing merit-based, nonpartisan protections for federal career employees, ensuring that civil service status is preserved and employees are shielded from undue political reassignments.

On September 18, 2023, the Office of Personnel Management issued a proposed rule designed to protect civil service appeal rights, countering previous attempts to reclassify civil service positions as at-will 'Schedule F' roles. The rule ensures that employees retain accrued appeal rights, thereby safeguarding worker protections and democratic accountability.

OPM’s fiscal 2022-2026 strategic plan prioritizes diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility by increasing funding and enhancing recruitment practices to better represent underserved communities in the federal workforce.

A bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced the Strengthening the Office of Personnel Management Act on November 23, 2021, which aims to insulate OPM from partisan interference by mandating career-based appointments and establishing stronger political guardrails. The legislation seeks to reverse the politicization experienced during the Trump administration by ensuring that leadership positions are filled by qualified, nonpartisan federal employees.

In its first 60 days under the Trump Administration, the Office of Personnel Management initiated a sweeping transformation of the federal workforce, signaling a politically driven realignment of civil service practices.

The report details a comprehensive set of cybersecurity modernization measures undertaken by the Office of Personnel Management in June 2015, including multi-factor authentication, enhanced network monitoring, deployment of advanced security tools, and steps to modernize IT systems aimed at protecting sensitive federal employee data.