This order hands the President near-unchecked power to fire and reassign the very experts charged with steady governance, creating a hollow shell of what the civil service is meant to be—an impartial steward of the public interest. By replacing time-tested safeguards with politicized performance boards and “at-will” removal, it erects a system driven by ideological loyalty over merit, depriving agencies of institutional memory and expertise. Such an erosion of balanced oversight and professionalism affects every American who depends on efficient, unbiased public services—whether it’s receiving Social Security on time, ensuring consumer protections, or mitigating threats to public health. The everyday citizen should balk at this brazen move toward centralized control, because once the principles of fair governance and merit-based stability are sidelined, the door opens to decisions ruled by political expediency rather than the common good.
