In the 1800s, the main job requirement for most federal employees was loyalty to the newly-elected president. But after a ...

This became known as the “spoils system.” Like Trump, Jackson also had a version of the “deep state” that he opposed. He claimed that the appointment process was aristocratic and blocked ...

Reformers in the Republican Party, which dominated national politics in the 1860s and 1870s, had been calling for a ...

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Donald Trump is, for a second time, trying to revive the political spoils system, this time with a new Schedule F executive ...

The federal government’s core civilian workforce has long been known for its professionalism. About 2.1 million nonpartisan career officials provide essential public services in such diverse ...