The federal government wants to move fast.

They’ve rolled out a “merit-based” hiring plan designed to speed things up—get rid of self-assessments, cut down hiring to 80 days, and remove race, sex, and national origin from the equation.

Sounds efficient, right?

Let’s not confuse efficiency with equity.

Here’s what they’re not saying:

  • Removing demographic considerations doesn’t remove bias.
  • Prioritizing “patriotic” hires from religious colleges and homeschooling backgrounds isn’t neutrality—it’s a coded reroute.
  • “Merit” is not a fixed standard. It’s a tool—often shaped by who’s holding the pen.

You can’t build a fair system by ignoring the history behind it.

Meritocracy isn’t real unless it accounts for the barriers some people never had to face.

And here’s the kicker: When you remove data about equity, you remove the ability to prove inequity.

So let’s call this what it is:
A political pivot dressed up as performance optimization.

For leaders reading this:

  • Your systems aren’t neutral just because you stripped out identity.
  • This isn’t progress—it’s plausible deniability.
  • If you copy this model, you won’t be more efficient. You’ll just be better at ignoring what matters.

Final thought:

If “merit” only reflects the majority—it’s not merit. It’s maintenance.
Of power. Of access. Of the same faces in the same rooms.

And that should be your last straw.

Read the Entire Memo

🔗 Read more about it:

OPM outlines merit hiring plan, new SES process ahead of hiring freeze end – FedScoop