National Security Council staffers grilled about loyalty to Trump
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President Trump in the Oval Office on Jan. 20. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
The Trump administration is screening the loyalty of approximately 160 career civil servants assigned to the National Security Council.
Why it matters: The screenings are part of a larger push by President Trump to reshape the federal workforce that includes staffing the administration with loyalists and making it easier to fire civil servants.
State of play: There are approximately 160 civil servants, known as detailees, on the NSC whose employment is being reviewed. These reviews are at "different stages" but nearly all "are being impacted today," a national security source briefed on the matter told Axios Wednesday.
- The sidelined detailees have been told to temporarily work from home as the process continues, per AP, which first reported the story.
- Meanwhile, new detailees, including some that had served during the first Trump administration, are being brought on, per AP.
Catch up quick: Even before President Trump took office, members of his administration began questioning NSC employees about their political affiliations and actions, to suss out their loyalty to Trump, AP reported earlier this month.
- Trump's national security adviser Mike Waltz had told Breitbart News earlier this month that career civil servants detailed to the NSC during the Biden administration would be returned to their home federal agencies and departments.
Between the lines: Compliance with policy goals has also been a high priority for the Trump administration.
- His Justice Department has also ordered federal prosecutors to investigate and potentially bring charges against state and local officials if they refuse to enforce the administration's new immigration policies.
Zoom out: Trump has lost little time in reshaping the federal workforce since his inauguration Monday.
- He swiftly signed executive orders mandating a hiring freeze for federal workers and mandating a full-time return to in-office work for government employees.
- He also reinstated Schedule F, which could make it easier to fire civil servants deemed disloyal.
Go deeper: Tracking Trump's executive orders: What he's signed so far
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional developments.
