By James Oliphant and Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President-elect Donald Trump is poised to seize greater control of the federal government than any modern president before him when he takes office on Monday, leading the plans to dismantle what he and his allies called the “deep state,” according to two sources familiar with the transition discussions.

The effort could begin on Trump’s first day as president, according to one of the sources, with an executive order aimed at removing job protections from an estimated 50,000 federal career employees. , allowing their replacement by selected loyalists appointed.

The Trump administration will also push to fill thousands of political appointments across the government as soon as possible, another source told Reuters.

The goal is to inject political loyalists deep into the workings of government, perhaps more than any other new president.

In a harbinger of what lies ahead, Trump’s team has asked for the resignation of three senior career diplomats in charge of the US State Department’s workforce and internal coordination, Reuters reported this week.

Trump’s allies blame bureaucrats they consider disloyal for thwarting his agenda during his first term in the White House by slow-moving initiatives at the Justice Department, Department of Education and other agencies.

Nearly a dozen of Trump’s top appointees for his second term have been given a clear mandate to shake up the federal workforce or have expressed support for the plans, according to announcements by staff and media interviews reviewed by Reuters.

Russell Vought, who Trump nominated to return as director of the Office of Management and Budget, played a key role in drafting an earlier version of the reclassification order, known as Schedule F, as Trump left office in 2020.

The revised executive order on Schedule F will allow agency officials to reclassify positions from career posts to political appointments, said one of the sources familiar with the transition planning.

That enables agencies to fire career employees for no reason and replace them.

Vought will be assisted in Trump’s second term by Sergio Gore, who has been nominated to head the White House staff office.

PICKING LINES

Others tasked with dismantling the “deep state” include Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi, possible next FBI director Kash Patel, Secretary of State nominee Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz, education nominee Linda McMahon , and Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy , who will lead Trump’s government efficiency effort, the Reuters review found.

When asked, Trump’s transition team would not provide details on a timeline for the planned shake-up, which could take months due to federal rulemaking procedures.

“The Trump Administration has a place for people who serve in government who are committed to protecting the rights of Americans, putting America first, and ensuring the best use of tax dollars for men and women, ” said spokesman Brian Hughes.

Critics and the unions representing federal workers say there is no such thing as a “deep state,” and that Trump and his allies are peddling a conspiracy theory to give justification for usurping the power of the executive branch.

James Eisenmann, a lawyer and expert on federal workforce policy, said in an interview that Trump mistakenly believed that most government employees harbor an ideological agenda and noted that under current law, those who are not that work or unreliable workers may be fired.

Schedule F, he said, will create a culture of silence and fear that will affect work performance.

“People are afraid to speak up or even suggest something helpful for fear of being dismissed,” says Eisenmann. “When people are afraid, it’s not easy to get them to do things.”

Steve Lenkart, executive director of the National Federation of Federal Workers, said in an interview that the new classification is aimed at creating “a secret police” within the federal government.

“The incoming administration has admitted that they will use Schedule F to subject professional employees to professional or political loyalty tests and get rid of those who don’t like it,” he said.

Hughes, the Trump transition spokesman, did not respond to questions about what role individual nominees would play in implementing Trump’s agenda, or the “secret police” allegation.

FINDING TARGETS

During Senate confirmation hearings on Wednesday, Vought and Bondi expressed support for the policies behind Schedule F.

Vought testified that he believed that parts of the federal government were “rigged.”

He declined to answer questions about whether he advised Trump to conduct mass firings, but said the reclassification of career employees would ensure the president has individuals in a policy-making role “that responding to his views, his agenda.”

Bondi, during his hearing, said Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump was evidence of partisanship within the Justice Department.

He vowed not to use the department to target people based on their politics, but avoided direct questions about investigating Trump’s political opponents.

The Biden Justice Department has long denied that it pursued criminal charges against Trump for political reasons. It did not respond to a request for comment on Friday.

The process of identifying members of the federal bureaucracy whose views may be at odds with the incoming administration has begun.

Last December, the American Accountability Foundation, acting with support from the conservative Heritage Foundation, sent a letter to Pentagon nominee Pete Hegseth naming 20 leaders across the US military who are considered excessive. focused on diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Outgoing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin defended those efforts, saying a diverse military reflects the diversity of the United States.

The Pentagon referred a request for comment to the Trump transition team.

The American Accountability Foundation also published a “Top 10 Targets” list on its website of career employees at the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department that it claimed would be resistant to increased border security efforts.

There are many names coming up, said Yitz Friedman, a spokesman for the group.