Biden trashes Trump’s civil service plans in press conference

President Biden on Thursday cited his predecessor’s radical plan to reshape the federal civil service as one of the reasons he remains determined to stay in the presidential campaign, despite growing concerns from voters, elected officials and party donors about his age and health.

The remarks came toward the end of an hour-long press conference ostensibly tied to this week’s NATO summit, though the event took on the de facto role as a test of the president’s fitness for office, following a calamitous debate performance last month.

Asked how his performance in the near future may weigh on his decision whether to remain in the running for reelection, Biden said that although during the 2020 campaign, he suggested he could serve as a “bridge” between the Democratic party’s old guard and younger leaders, former President Trump’s plans to consolidate executive power and uproot the nonpartisan civil service caused him to rethink that notion.

“I remember I made a speech on democracy in Philadelphia, in Independence Hall,” Biden said. “And—I’m not being critical, just observing—the bulk of the press said, ‘What the hell is he doing that for?’ Yeah, you did. ‘Democracy is not an issue.’ Except the polling data showed that 60% of the people knew I was right—thought I was right. I’m not asking you a question, you don’t have to answer, obviously. But do you think our democracy is under siege based on this [Supreme] Court? Do you think democracy is under siege based on Project 2025? Do you think he means what he says when he’s going to do away with the civil service? Eliminate the Department of Education? We’ve never been here before.”

In the final months of Trump’s term in office, he signed an executive order establishing a new job category within the government’s excepted service called Schedule F. Federal workers in “policy-related” positions would be transferred to this new job classification and be stripped of most of their civil service protections, effectively making them at-will employees.

Biden quickly rescinded the edict before it could be implemented at federal agencies, though a couple got close. But Trump has made Schedule F a common refrain in campaign speeches, and Project 2025, a conservative transition project led by the Heritage Foundation both called for its return in its 900-page manifesto and began a massive recruitment campaign for upwards of 20,000 potential political appointees.

Project 2025 also calls for the federal government to cease reserving Senior Executive Service posts for career civil servants, rather than political appointees, and described federal employee unions as “incompatible” with government management.

Coincidentally, The Washington Post reported that the Heritage Foundation held a “war game” on Thursday, in which leaders of the conservative think tank preemptively declared the 2024 election to be illegitimate and outlined legal steps they might take after Election Day.

“I’ve got to finish the job,” Biden said. “I’ve got to finish the job because there’s so much at stake.”