A bipartisan Senate duo is picking up on a novel proposal first pushed by the Trump White House: to favor actual “skills” in addition to college diplomas when evaluating prospective federal hires.
Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty said Thursday that the time is now to make the bloated federal bureaucracy more efficient and skill-based.
What’s more, the two said their “Reforming and Modernizing the Federal Hiring Process” will open the doors to a wider range of applicants to include those not wealthy enough to afford college but smart enough to get accepted.
“For too long, the federal government’s hiring priorities have focused on college degrees and institutions instead of if the individual is actually qualified,” said Hagerty, a Tennessee Republican. “Federal workers should be hired based on skills, not just if they have a degree. I’m pleased to have Senator Sinema’s partnership as we seek to modernize our federal workforce, which taxpayers depend on.”
“We’re making federal hiring more efficient and the federal government more effective by removing barriers and expanding opportunities for skilled Arizonans who have the knowledge and experience to work in the federal government, even if they don’t have a traditional college degree,” Sinema of Arizona added.
The senators shared their plan with Secrets before unveiling it Thursday morning.
Trump’s Office of Management and Budget pressed for hiring reforms that put a premium on real-life skills instead of just good grades. It also moved to ease the firing of underperforming workers.
