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A new federal hiring requirement mandating job applicants to explain how they would support the Trump administration’s executive orders is raising alarm among civil service experts and former officials. Critics argue that the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) updated application process risks politicizing roles traditionally viewed as nonpartisan—such as food safety inspectors and wage investigators—by evaluating candidates based on alignment with the president’s policy goals. While OPM defends the essay as a tool to streamline hiring and replace outdated criteria, many warn it could act as a de facto loyalty test and undermine the expertise-driven integrity of federal agencies.