Programs to Develop and Attract Federal Talent Cut as Administration Continues to Remake of Federal Workforce

President Trump moved to eliminate key programs that bring new talent into the federal government and aim to improve quality of life and work for federal employees.

In an executive order, the president eliminated the Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) program and Federal Executive Boards (FEBs). The order also eliminated several independent federal agencies: the Presidio Trust, the Inter-American Foundation, the African Development Foundation and the Institute of Peace, and tasked federal officials with finding more to cut. 

In the order, the President says that “Reducing the size of the Federal Government will minimize Government waste and abuse, reduce inflation, and promote American freedom and innovation.”

PMF Gets the Ax

Among the cuts was the PMF program, which was viewed as a way to bring early career talent into the federal workforce. Started in 1977, PMF was a two-year full time fellowship for recent graduates, billed as “the premier leadership development program.”

Competition for the program was robust, with PMF selecting 825 finalists out of a total of 7,193 applications in 2024. 

Its elimination sparked outrage not only among fellows, but among good government groups. 

“Taking away a highly competitive, merit-based program that has developed exceptional government leaders for over 40 years not only sends the wrong message to the next generation about public service, but also contradicts efforts to build a more effective and innovative government,” said Partnership for Public Service President Max Stier. “With just over 7% of the federal workforce under 30, this decision risks widening the talent and critical skills gaps even further, and the holes will be felt in our government for years to come.”

Many PMF participants were already fired as part of the wave of probationary firings across the federal government. 

While ending PMF, the order did retain two other sections of the Pathways Program for interns and recent graduates. Pathways is the federal government’s main program for recruiting early career workers. 

FEBs and FEI Extinguished

The executive order ended Federal Executive Boards (FEBs), which functioned as a support system for federal employees scattered across the country. The 26 boards spread across four regions were focused on streamlining functions and providing support to the approximately 85 percent of federal employees who do not live in the National Capital Region. 

These developments come after a separate executive order terminated the Federal Executive Institute (FEI), which provided leadership training to federal executives since the 1960s. 

The Trump Administration argued that training for bureaucrats should be cut “to refocus Government on serving taxpayers, competence, and dedication to our Constitution, rather than serving the Federal bureaucracy.”

“Destroy Any Opportunity”

The actions of the Trump Administration bring a military analogy to mind for Don Kettl, professor emeritus at the University of Maryland and former dean of its School of Public Policy. 

“Military forces used to throw salt on the earth to make it impossible for the people who survived to reestablish their farms, because nothing would grow,” said Kettl to GovExec. “That’s the strategy that for sure is going on here. They’re trying to destroy any opportunity to be able to recruit federal workers and to drive potential recruits away.”