Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service

On January 20, 2025, President [Name not provided in the document] issued Executive Order 14170, aiming to overhaul the federal hiring process to emphasize merit and efficiency while excluding impermissible factors like race, sex, or religion. The order mandates the creation of a Federal Hiring Plan to streamline recruitment, enhance candidate communication, and integrate modern technology, potentially reducing hiring times to under 80 days. This move could face legal and political scrutiny for its stance on diversity and inclusion, as it explicitly seeks to eliminate considerations of "equity" and "gender identity" in hiring, potentially impacting how the federal workforce reflects the nation's diversity.