Loyalty to Principle or Politics: The US Civil Service under Attack …but is it Justified?

The concept and practice of a merit-based career civil service originated in ancient China, but only under large-scale, complex democratic forms of government did it become the cornerstone for a career civil service faithfully serving that democracy, and thus working for society at large. While there is inherent tension at the interstice of democratic politics and politically impartial administration, this merit principle has served the citizens of these democracies very well. However, it is being challenged by populist politicians and its very existence is threatened as a result. This populist challenge has been a staple in American politics and society since the 1950s, and while the authors reject some of its desire to return to a ‘spoils system’ to staff the career bureaucracy, the American civil service system nevertheless is in need of some reforms, especially with regard to the accountability of individual civil servants to their democratically elected or appointed superiors. In this article the authors explore the origins and ramifications of Trump’s Schedule F Executive Order and, based on that exploration, they offer some possibilities regarding those reforms.