The Office of Personnel Management announced Thursday new rules that strengthen job protections for civil servants, protections aimed squarely at making it more difficult for President Trump to replace the federal workforce with loyalists if he wins another term.

“This final rule honors our 2.2 million career civil servants, helping ensure that people are hired and fired based on merit and that they can carry out their duties based on their expertise and not political loyalty,” OPM director Kiran Ahuja said in a statement. 

The new rules specifically reaffirm procedures laid out in legislation dating back to 1883, which “eliminated the spoils system and introduced a merit-based civil service as a key pillar of our democratic system,” according to the new rules.

In broad strokes, the new rules clarify the protections afforded to merit-based, career civil servants — protections not afforded to political appointees. In general, there must be a reason for the firing of a federal employee after their first year of employment, such as poor performance, or some sort of misconduct. 

Federal employees facing action against them also are entitled to 30 days notice and enjoy a right-to-reply and review of the evidence presented in favor of their termination, generally understood to be part of the due process for firing a federal employee.

The new OPM rules also create an appeals process for when a federal employee is involuntarily moved from one position to another or when they are stripped of their normal protections.

“Day in and day out, career civil servants provide the expertise and continuity necessary for our democracy to function,” President Biden said in a statement obtained by Fox News. “They provide Americans with life-saving and life-changing services and put opportunity within reach for millions. That’s why since taking office, I have worked to strengthen, empower, and rebuild our career workforce.”

These protections for federal employees, intended to limit the political influence on the functioning of federal agencies, have long been an enemy of President Trump — who calls such agencies the “deep state” — and other Republicans eager to install loyalists and conservative activists in federal agencies.

This goal is central to the Heritage Foundation’s so-called “Project 2025,” which aims to create a playbook for the next Republican administration.

“It is not enough for conservatives to win elections,” the authors of Project 2025 write. “The project will build on four pillars that will, collectively, pave the way for an effective conservative administration: a policy agenda, personnel, training, and a 180-day playbook.”

The sprawling plans for a potential second Trump Administration spurred pressure on President Biden from public sector unions and other watchdog groups.

A future administration, however, would be able to overturn the rules from the OPM and replace them with their own rules, providing they stay within the bounds of the relevant legislation.