OPM Scraps 1978 Hiring Guidelines for 2.2 Million Workers as Trump Pushes Merit-Based Rules
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 30
OPM Scraps 1978 Hiring Guidelines for 2.2 Million Workers as Trump Pushes Merit-Based Rules
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 30
Summary
A final interim rule published Thursday immediately removed OPM references to the 1978 Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures, reshaping federal hiring standards across the government.
The Office of Personnel Management said a recent Justice Department opinion found the guidelines unconstitutional because they encouraged race-conscious decisions through disparate-impact analysis rather than job qualifications.
Scott Kupor said the change is part of a broader overhaul of the 2.2 million-strong federal workforce, alongside ending self-attestation, adding skills-based assessments and tightening accountability for poor performance.
The rule stays open for 60 days of public comment before OPM decides whether to make it permanent, while supporters of the old framework argue it helped detect subtle discrimination.
The move extends the administration's anti-DEI campaign from closing diversity offices and training programs to rewriting the legal and regulatory framework behind federal employment policy.