How Trump aims to dismantle the ‘deep state’ and assert control

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to assert unprecedented control over the federal government as he prepares to take office on Monday, with plans to overhaul the federal workforce and replace tens of thousands of career employees with political appointees.

According to sources familiar with the transition, Trump’s administration is set to reintroduce a controversial executive order, known as Schedule F, that would strip job protections from an estimated 50,000 federal employees. The move would make it easier to replace career civil servants with handpicked loyalists.

The order, which could be signed on Trump’s first day in office, aims to embed political appointees across government agencies, significantly increasing political influence within the federal bureaucracy.

Trump’s team has already signaled a shake-up at the U.S. State Department, requesting the resignation of three senior career diplomats.

Supporters argue the initiative is necessary to counteract what Trump allies call the “deep state,” accusing career officials of obstructing his first-term agenda.

Russell Vought, Trump’s nominee to return as director of the Office of Management and Budget, was instrumental in crafting the original Schedule F order in 2020. Vought and other Trump appointees have publicly expressed their intent to reshape the federal workforce.

If implemented, Schedule F would reclassify certain career positions as political appointments, granting agency heads broad authority to remove and replace employees.

Critics warn that the plan could undermine government expertise and politicize federal agencies, leading to instability. Trump allies, however, see the effort as critical to advancing his administration’s policies without bureaucratic delays.