In the US, candidates for public office are now being asked about US President Donald Trumpʼs favorite executive orders and his commitment to a government efficiency agenda.
Bloomberg writes about this.
The requirements for these questions apply even to relatively low-level positions, starting at the GS-5 pay grade and above—positions that can start at a base salary of $32,357 per year. These positions include medical assistants, foresters, and firefighters.
Among the questions:
- "How did your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspire you to apply for this position in the federal government? Give a specific example from professional, academic, or personal experience";
- "Name one or two decrees or policy initiatives that are meaningful to you and explain how you would help implement them if hired."
Two more questions concern improving government efficiency and personal work ethic. Answers should be no more than 200 words, and the memorandum emphasizes the prohibition of fraud.
“Applicants must confirm that they are using their own words and have not involved consultants or AI,” the document states.
The thirty-page memorandum, signed by White House Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley and Acting OPM Director Charles Ezell, implements Donald Trumpʼs executive order that repeals diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in federal hiring.
The executive order also requires the government to give preference to candidates “who are committed to improving the efficiency of the federal government, who believe passionately in the ideals of the American republic, and who are committed to upholding the rule of law and the Constitution of the United States.”
The memorandum also calls for new skills tests — at least two for many positions — and the elimination of optional college degree requirements. The goal is to shorten the hiring process to less than 80 days and create “a federal service that meets the highest standards of professionalism and dedication to service.”
- After Donald Trump became US president, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was launched in Washington under the leadership of billionaire Elon Musk. This structure is supposed to increase the efficiency of the American government in a year and a half.
- As part of the governmentʼs spending cuts, the US government has, among other things, suspended aid programs to other countries, offered federal officials the opportunity to resign and receive compensation. The US also decided to liquidate the Department of Education, and the US Central Intelligence Agency began laying off recently hired employees.
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