Liberal advocacy groups are backing proposed federal rules that would make it harder to fire bureaucrats as polls suggest former President Donald Trump will likely win November’s presidential election.
A proposed Office of Personnel Management (OPM) rule would make it more difficult for public employees to be reclassified as Schedule F employees, who can be fired at the president’s will. according to On the Federal Register. Liberal organizations involved in efforts to block a potential second term for Trump, including Democracy Forward and Protect Democracy, have expressed support for the rule.
Some conservative groups have voiced opposition to the proposed rule, saying it is necessary to root out political bias in the federal bureaucracy. (Related: Almost all left-wing groups seem hell-bent on defending the administrative state)
“The federal workforce is ideologically polarized, and this rulemaking would hinder the ability of a president to implement policy that differs from the views of bureaucrats,” the America First Institute for Policy Studies argued in a paper. letter To OPM.
But liberal groups support rule changes to prevent President Trump from replacing federal employees with “partisan partisans.”
Protect Democracy, comprised of the 501(c)(3) Protect Democracy Project and the 501(c)(4) United to Protect Democracy, calls this rule “strengthening critical parts of democracy.” It was called an initiative for the purpose of
“It would help protect the fundamental employment rights of federal public servants who are sworn to the Constitution and laws of the United States rather than the president personally.” according to To protect democracy.
Published by Democracy Forward letter They represent a coalition of 27 organizations supporting the rule change, arguing that the change will “ensure that the American people are served by highly qualified, experienced, and dedicated public servants.”
advancing democracy claimed “The breadth and severity of the Trump administration’s legal and ethical failings should make our nation wary of granting even more unrestricted power to presidential appointees.”
Organizations joining Democracy Forward to support rule changes include liberal groups such as the Brennan Center for Justice, the League of Conservative Voters, and the Center for Progressive Reform.
advancing democracylike Protect Democracy, is comprised of both 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations.
supported by soros Center for American Progress And its affiliate, the Action Fund, also supported the rule change.
A spokesperson for the action fund told the Daily Caller News Foundation: “The OPM rule is an important step in preventing government employees from being subject to patronage programs that reward loyalty and partisanship over professional merit. It’s a step,” he said.
George Soros’ various philanthropic efforts funneled millions of dollars to the Center for American Progress and the Center for American Progress Action Fund from 2016 to 2022. according to Save to grant database.
Hungarian-born American investor and philanthropist George Soros (Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP, Getty Images)
Many of the groups supporting the rule change receive support from major left-wing donors.
Democracy Forward Foundation received $200,000 from Pierre Omidyar democracy fund In 2022.
Mr. Omidyar is a major funder and founder of the Democracy Fund. back various liberal organizations, according to on the tax form. He has also funded initiatives in the past, including: be against with playing cards Fight Twitter acquisition by Elon Musk.
Democracy Forward also counts high-ranking Democratic operatives on its board, including figures like Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign chair. John Podestaversatile Democratic lawyer Marc Elias and former President Biden’s chief of staff Ron Klain, according to Go to the organization’s website.
Mr. Omidyar supports other organizations that support efforts to entrench bureaucrats.
The Protect Democracy Project, a 501(c)(3) division of Protect Democracy, received $3.8 million from: democracy fund Since then 2017, tax document show.
The organization also received $500,000 from the Heising-Simmons Foundation, a philanthropic organization run by Democratic megadonors. show. It has also received hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding since 2020 from the Democratic group Arabella Advisors. black finance networkaccording to tax document.
Protect Democracy also received more than $1.7 million from Soros’ philanthropic network from 2017 to 2021. according to Save to grant database.
These groups are also involved in other operations aimed at weakening the Trump administration’s chances.
Both Protect Democracy and Democracy Forward consider themselves part of a loose coalition of groups filing preemptive lawsuits to prevent Trump from taking certain actions if elected. There is.
Meanwhile, Democracy Forward and the Center for American Progress are part of a coalition of groups pressuring the Supreme Court not to take power away from the administrative state.
President Trump is reportedly discussing plans to reorganize the federal bureaucracy if re-elected, raising concerns among liberal groups that support OPM rule changes.
The former president said he would work to root out “corrupt bureaucrats who have weaponized our justice system” and “corrupt officials in our national security and intelligence agencies,” per the Associated Press. report.
If elected, Trump could convert up to 50,000 public servants into political appointees and fire them at will, says Politico. report.
Trump allies have argued that they can ignore OPM’s attempts to protect bureaucrats and overturn the proposed rules using the same rulemaking process, a sentiment echoed by legal experts. I agree. according to In the New York Times.
Many public officials working in the Trump administration deliberately undermined the former president’s orders and goals. according to This book was given to Miles Taylor, who served as Chief of Staff at the Department of Homeland Security from 2017 to 2019. written Journalist Bob Woodward details a similar move in the Trump administration.
Intelligence officials claimed in the run-up to the 2020 election that Russians had placed bounties on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, but recanted those claims after President Joe Biden took office.President Trump’s immigration policies faced opposition from within his administration, CBS News report.
Center-left groups are working to build obstacles for a future Trump administration, as polls show the former president leading Biden in key battleground states and possibly the popular vote. I’m here.
Trump leads Biden in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. according to These six states are widely considered important in determining which party controls the White House in 2025.
Some recent polls have Trump leading Biden nationally. according to To FiveThirtyEight.
OPM, Democracy Forward, and Protect Democracy did not immediately respond to DCNF’s requests for comment.
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