How Trump’s Schedule F could hurt govtech recruitment; TSA issues proposed cyber mandates for pipelines, rail, airlines

If President-elect Donald Trump follows through on his pledge to reinstate an executive order that eases the president’s ability to fire federal workers, the government’s ability to recruit top talent for tech, IT, cyber and artificial intelligence positions will be harmed, according to a senior Biden administration official. The 2020 executive order concerning the creation of Schedule F in the excepted service was issued just 13 days before the 2020 election and was overturned by an executive order from President Joe Biden to enshrine protections for the federal workforce in 2021. The Office of Personnel Management announced a final rule this April that aimed to reinforce protections and merit system principles for career civil servants.

The Transportation Security Administration issued long-waited proposed cyber mandates Thursday that would set in stone, harmonize, and add to the emergency security directives first issued following the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack in 2021. The notice of proposed rulemaking (NOPR) will serve as one of the last major policy actions the Biden administration will take to protect critical infrastructure from malicious cyberattacks before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

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