## Notes from 12 June 2025 [[2025-06-11|← Previous note]] ┃ [[2025-06-13|Next note →]] I saw on social media (via the always excellent [[Bastien Scordia]]) that France is setting up a new [investment fund](https://acteurspublics.fr/nomination/olivier-bouet-chef-du-pole-action-publique-a-matignon-va-prefigurer-le-fonds-dinvestissement-dedie-a-la-reforme-de-letat/) for state reform and AI in public administration. It will be led by [Olivier Bouet](https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivier-bouet-3798a53/), head of the “public action” division in François Bayrou’s office. I still need to understand more details about the initiative. ___ I read two recent articles by [[Raymond Limon]], a long-time leader in US federal HR and former vice chair of the _Merit Systems Protection Board_ (MSPB). As always, he offers clear and grounded insights based on decades of experience. In the [first piece](https://federalnewsnetwork.com/commentary/2025/06/in-todays-chaos-is-it-too-early-to-discuss-civil-service-reform/), he reflects on the current fragility of civil service institutions (especially the repeated loss of quorum at the MSPB) and the broader constitutional crisis triggered by actions taken early in Trump’s second administration. He connects the moment to past reform cycles, especially the post-Watergate Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, and calls for a new wave of legislative reform led by career experts: former [CHCOs (Chief Human Capital Officers)](https://beta.chcoc.gov/), federal HR attorneys, union leaders, and public administration specialists. He criticizes the existing patchwork of hiring authorities (120 in total) and pay systems (28), arguing they’ve created a system so convoluted that hiring a federal employee now borders on the miraculous. In the [second article](https://www.govexec.com/management/2025/06/trumps-new-civil-service-hiring-plan-merit-or-meritless/405892/?oref=ge-featured-river-top), Limon offers a strong and detailed critique of the “[Merit Hiring Plan](https://www.chcoc.gov/content/merit-hiring-plan)” released by the Trump administration in late May 2025. He argues that far from being a principled merit-based reform, the plan revives the [[Civil Service Deconstruction|worst tendencies of the spoils system]]. Three elements especially concern Limon: (1) eliminating the collection of demographic data, which hinders equity and strategic planning, (2) requiring applicants to submit essays affirming their alignment with presidential executive orders, and (3) shifting hiring authority from career managers to politically appointed designees. Limon warns that these measures are not only regressive but also legally questionable and likely to provoke lawsuits and trigger whistleblower protections.