Alarm raised on new federal 'hiring plan' that quizzes applicants about Trump

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) unveiled new hiring guidelines on Thursday, May 29, describing them as a "merit hiring plan." And according to a joint memo from acting OPM Director Charles Ezell and Vince Haley, director of President Donald Trump's Domestic Policy Council, job applicants are being quizzed on their favorite Trump policies.

One of the four essay questions applicants are being asked reads, "How would you help advance the president’s executive orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant executive orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired."

The Ezell/Haley memo underscored the Trump Administration's disdain for DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) policies, using anti-affirmative action rhetoric.

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Ezell and Haley wrote, "The American people deserve a federal workforce dedicated to American values and efficient service. Yet, federal hiring criteria long ago abandoned any serious need for technical skills and adherence to the Constitution. Instead, the overly complex federal hiring system overemphasized discriminatory 'equity' quotas and too often resulted in the hiring of unfit, unskilled, bureaucrats."

The memo called for federal government agencies to abandon any use of "racial quotas and preferences" and refrain from collecting data "regarding the composition of the agency's workforce based on race, sex, color, religion or national origin."

A federal resources official believes the new guidelines will be a source of stress for both applicants and hiring managers.

The official, interviewed on condition of anonymity, told the Government Executive website, "Everything in it will make it more difficult to hire, not less. How the f--- do you define if someone is patriotic?"

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