White House to evaluate officials’ loyalty to Trump – WSJ
A US government agency will begin assessing federal workers based on their loyalty to President Donald Trump, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which is the US federal government’s human-resources arm, has been tasked with leading the evaluation program, the outlet said in an article on Saturday.
According to memos from OPM Acting Director Chuck Ezell, which were seen by the WSJ, high-ranking civil servants will be judged based on their “faithful administration of the law and the president’s policies.”
The documents described advancing Trump’s agenda as the “most critical element” in measuring the performance of the officials, the report read.
The new performance plan is expected to be adopted by the US government agencies by the beginning of fiscal year 2026, it added.
The WSJ stressed that civil servants had also been graded previously, but it was done based on factors such as business acumen, leadership skills, ability to build coalitions and results of their work.
During the previous Democratic administration of President Joe Biden, staffing policy focused heavily on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices. Critics, however, argued that DEI initiatives often prioritized identity over merit, leading to claims of lowered standards and divisiveness. Many companies, including, Walt Disney, JPMorgan Chase, Amazon, and Google, facing similar criticisms and legal challenges, have since scaled back or entirely abandoned their DEI programs.
Shortly after assuming office in January, Trump signed several executive orders aimed at eliminating DEI initiatives, describing them as “radical,” within the federal government, its contractors, and grantees.
The WSJ said that OPM had already begun approving positions that other federal agencies are looking to add in what it described as an attempt by the Trump administration “to consolidate control over the hiring and firing of federal workers.”
The Office of Personnel Management will also continue some of the government downsizing efforts initiated by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, according to the report. Musk announced earlier this week that he will scale back his involvement as the head of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and refocus on his business activities.
The world’s richest man explained his decision by saying that “major work” to establish DOGE has now been completed. However, Musk clarified that he has no intention of stepping away from his work at the agency altogether, adding that he would still spend “a day or two per week on government matters.”
