Donald Trump’s Plan to Pare Back the ‘Deep State,’ Explained

If reelected in 2024, former President Donald Trump plans to resurrect a specific policy directive from his first term to target one of his former foils, the so-called “deep state.”

Trump’s signing of the executive order—known as “Schedule F”—in late October 2020 got buried beneath wall-to-wall election coverage and was promptly undone by President Joe Biden before it could be fully implemented. Proponents say it could have made the government more responsive and efficient, while opponents worry it would have been merely an excuse for politically motivated mass firings.

And even if Trump doesn’t secure the GOP nomination, other Republican candidates have spoken highly of the measure.

What is Schedule F?