The US government has announced plans to reclassify career government employees working on policy matters as 'Schedule Policy/Career,' or at-will employees.

This change will affect around 50,000 employees, approximately 2% of the federal workforce.

The Office of Personnel Management will issue new Civil Service Regulations, which will hold these employees to high standards of conduct and performance.

Under the new regulations, employees with important policy-determining, policy-making, policy-advocating, or confidential duties will be considered at-will employees, without access to adverse action procedures or appeals.

The administration states that this change will allow for the swift removal of employees in policy-influencing roles for poor performance, misconduct, corruption, or subversion of Presidential directives.

Employees are not required to personally support the president but must faithfully implement the law and the administration's policies.

The proposed rule is part of a broader effort to shrink the government by firing federal workers.