OPM issues new ‘merit’ hiring rules

On May 29, 2025, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued two memos to federal agencies on hiring federal workers based on merit in compliance with President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) 14170 directing “recruitment and hiring processes” to become more efficient and that hiring be based on “merit, practical skill, and dedication to our Constitution.” Both the Merit Hiring Plan and the Hiring and Talent Development for the Senior Executive Service memos prioritize the recruitment of employees “committed to improving the efficiency of the federal government . . . [and] upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution,” while preventing the hiring of employees based on their race, gender, or religion or those unwilling “to faithfully serve the executive branch.”

Ending racial bias in federal hiring, recruiting, retention, and promotion

The Merit Hiring Plan states that all Americans must be hired, recruited, and promoted in federal jobs without regard to race, sex, color, religion, or national origin. After asserting that “racial quotas and preferences in Federal hiring, recruitment, and promotion ‘deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement,’” the plan goes on to say that agencies must conduct hiring, recruitment, retention, and promotion consistent with EOs 14173 and 14151 as well as guidance from Department of Justice, the OPM, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

The memo instructs agencies to cease: