Schedule F Policy Puts Federal Grant-Making Independence at Risk

A controversial Office of Personnel Management policy took effect this week that could strip civil service protections from federal workers who manage billions of dollars in research grants at NIH, NSF, and other science agencies.

The rule creates a new employee category called Schedule Policy/Career—previously known as Schedule F—that removes due process protections against firing and eliminates appeal rights to the Merit Systems Protection Board. OPM estimates roughly 50,000 federal positions could be affected, though the Association of American Medical Colleges warns the actual number could be four times higher.

Why Grant Seekers Should Pay Attention

The stakes for the research community are direct. NIH program officers who oversee grant portfolios and review funding decisions could be reclassified as at-will employees, making them vulnerable to political pressure on which projects receive federal dollars.

"Without tenure protections, the federal government has weakened its ability to compete with private sector employers for scientists," said Nicholas Bednar of the University of Minnesota. NIH program officer Jenna Norton warned the designation would make it "harder for us to push back on concerns internally" and "harder to blow the whistle on concerns externally."

OPM officials have said they expect few workers will actually be reclassified and that concerns are "buttressed more by fear than actual evidence." Neither NIH, NSF, nor the Department of Defense has disclosed how many employees they plan to move into the new category.

Legal Battle Already Underway

Unions, the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Democracy Forward, and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) have filed suit arguing the policy violates the Constitution and existing civil service laws. The rule drew 40,500 public comments during its review period, with 94 percent opposing.

Researchers preparing federal grant applications should understand that the personnel managing review processes at major science agencies face an unprecedented period of uncertainty. Tracking which agencies and programs are affected may become as important as tracking deadlines—resources like Granted can help researchers stay current on shifting federal funding landscapes.