Executive Order 13839: Promoting Accountability and Streamlining Removal Procedures Consistent With Merit System Principles
President: Donald J. Trump
Directed agencies to revise employee discipline, performance and grievance practices, including reporting adverse actions to OPM.
Status: Revoked. Is Executive Order 13839 still in effect? No. Executive Order 13839 was revoked. See Federal Register record.
What does Executive Order 13839 do?
EO 13839 set policy for addressing unacceptable federal employee performance and misconduct. It discouraged mandatory progressive discipline, called for opportunity periods tailored to a sufficient chance to improve, and sought to exclude certain removal disputes from negotiated grievance procedures where reasonable. Agency heads had to revise internal policies, while OPM was directed to review regulations; agencies also had annual adverse-action reporting duties. Statutory merit-system and bargaining requirements continued to govern.
Evidence review, September 23, 2026: The Federal Register index records the later relationship: Revoked by EO 14003. The linked successor text should be read for the exact scope.
Before and after
Before the order
Federal discipline and performance actions were governed by chapters 43 and 75 of title 5 and applicable negotiated grievance procedures; the order sought changes within that framework.
After the order
Agencies and OPM received policy and reporting directions rather than an automatic removal of any employee.
EO 14003 subsequently revoked EO 13839; consult that order for the precise legal disposition.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Office of Personnel Management | Review existing regulations against the order's discipline and grievance provisions and propose changes where appropriate. | Initial review within 45 days |
| Federal agency heads | Revise internal discipline and performance policies and report specified adverse-action data to OPM. | Initial policy steps within 45 days; annual reports |
What happened next
EO 13839 signed. The Federal Register published it June 1, 2018.
Extended evidence reviewed against linked official sources.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The Federal Register publication identifies EO 13839, its title and signing date. The Federal Register index records the later relationship: Revoked by EO 14003. The linked successor text should be read for the exact scope. This evidence does not by itself establish every later legal or operational effect.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 24, 2026. How we research →