The administration of President Donald Trump is taking steps to increase its influence over federal government technology, transforming the individuals in charge of that infrastructure into political appointees that it can hire and dismiss as it pleases.
At the moment, the position of chief information officer for each agency is a nonpartisan civil servant position designated as “career reserved” in the OPM, which offers some protection from termination. The positions will become general, making them available to a broad spectrum of appointees, according to a document released by the Office of Personnel Management on Tuesday. The change is scheduled to take place by February 14 at the latest.
Charles Ezell, the interim director of OPM, stated in the memo that the action will better align those workers with the goals of the Trump administration.
According to Ezell, the modern agency CIO position requires the ability to make and determine policies on a variety of contentious political issues, making it no longer the domain of unbiased and apolitical technocrats.
He continued by saying that the White House correctly anticipates that agency CIOs will be at the forefront of developing and putting into practice such policies, both inside the government and in front of the public.
The document was released at a time when Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been infiltrating different federal departments and their IT systems, causing turmoil throughout the federal government. The Treasury Department verified on Tuesday that DOGE has access to its payment systems, which manage annual federal payments totaling trillions of dollars.
The development was referred to as a “tech coup” by a former top OPM officer who wished to remain anonymous in order to shield current agency colleagues from reprisals.
Political appointees are meant to function similarly to policy advisors. According to the former OPM staffer, these are competitive positions, but they are not competitive merit system jobs. Since IT and cybersecurity typically account for the largest portion of spending, CIOs have a great deal of discretion and financial influence.
An OPM spokesperson chose not to comment.
Trump signed an executive order in January to facilitate the termination of thousands of public staff.
The richest man in the world and tech tycoon, Elon Musk, has just obtained critical information from federal authorities and instructed youthful helpers to take over using DOGE. With an executive order, Trump transformed the operation into a temporary federal agency with the purported goal of cutting federal bureaucracy. Musk is categorized as a unique government employee because he has circumvented some disclosure requirements that are typically expected of government workers.
As part of that effort, DOGE officials have sought to find ways to save costs and reform procedures, as well as to gain access to government databases and systems. Federal workers in charge of managing federal agencies and data have clashed explosively with the new Musk friends.
After attempting to block DOGE employees from accessing USAID networks, including personnel files, security systems, and employee security clearance information, two security staff members at the U.S. Agency for International Development were placed on leave on Saturday.
Musk has stated his desire to restructure the Education Department, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the General Services Administration.
Federal CIOs have been in charge of their agencies’ IT infrastructure, including email servers and file storage, since the 1990s.
The directive directs each agency to make requests to reclassify pertinent responsibilities rather than firing current career agency CIOs right once.
According to Jason Briefel, head of the government affairs practice at Shaw Bransford & Roth, the White House will have the power to install its choice once the posts are redefined.
“Elon Musk and his DOGE friends can probably be installed in any of these positions,” Briefel said, adding that it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out.