Federal job applicants can’t skip ‘loyalty question’ that OPM says is optional, court filings claim

The Federal Drive with Terry Gerton · May 1, 2026 · 7m

New essay questions on many federal job applications asking candidates how they would advance the Trump administration’s policies, are optional, according to the Office of Personnel Management. Unions challenging the questions in a lawsuit say many job applicants can’t skip over the essays and can’t submit their applications without answering them. The questions are appearing on a growing number of federal job applications. Federal News Network’s Jory Heckman has more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at…