All Schedule G employees require White House approval, OPM says

Similar to the rules for Schedule C hires, OPM said all Schedule G appointments must be reviewed and approved through an agency’s White House liaison.

Drew Friedman@dfriedmanWFED
July 29, 2025 5:17 pm
3 min read

The Trump administration is detailing how it expects agencies to recruit more political appointees through the new “Schedule G” hiring category, while also reminding agencies that all non-career hires must be approved by the White House.

The Office of Personnel Management on Tuesday outlined how agencies should adopt the federal employment classification President Donald Trump created earlier this month. Generally, the new Schedule G broadens agencies’ options for hiring political appointees, beyond the avenues already available to presidential administrations for picking their own staff members.

In its guidance on Trump’s new hiring authority, OPM said agencies will have to run any Schedule G hires they want make by the White House for review and approval.

“As a matter of practice,” OPM said, agencies will have to send all their political hires to their White House liaison — a position that coordinates with the White House on hiring and retention of political appointees — before agencies can advance any Schedule G appointments.

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