Guidance on Implementing President Trump’s EO 14,171: “Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce”

This memo provided guidance on EO 14,171 (Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce), which created Schedule Policy/Career. In the memo, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) directed agencies to consider additional categories of positions that may be "confidential, policy-determining, policy-making or policy-advocating." OPM asks agencies to recommend such positions for movement into Schedule Policy/Career. The memo also provided additional information on the process for agencies to work with OPM. It was modified on or about March 5, 2025, and the PDF on this site reflects the modified version. In footnote 4 of both versions of the memo, OPM promised that, by February 19, it would issue "final guidance on additional types of positions agencies should consider in their Policy/Career reviews." OPM did not issue any further guidance by February 19, and OPM's post-March 5 version of the memorandum included a prominent notice at the top that declared "Agencies should treat this memorandum as final guidance." (The updated memo also retroactively changed a deadline from a Sunday to a Monday.)