Overview
Scott Kupor became director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management in July 2025 following service in private-sector venture capital. OPM under his leadership finalized the Schedule Policy/Career regulation in February 2026 and issued additional instructions after the president's June 3, 2026 executive order identifying positions under the framework.
Position and previous career
OPM states Kupor was sworn in July 14, 2025, following Senate confirmation. Its official biography says he was previously managing partner at venture firm Andreessen Horowitz. His venture-capital employment is not evidence of a personal directive from Peter Thiel or Elon Musk. [1]
February 2026 final regulation
OPM announced a final Schedule Policy/Career regulation after the president's January 20, 2025 order. It changes certain removal and appeal protections for defined policy-influencing career positions, which remain merit-based career jobs. Kupor issued initial implementation guidance dated February 5, 2026. [2]
June 2026 actual position implementation
The president signed Executive Order 14410 on June 3, 2026 identifying covered positions in an agency-specific appendix; Kupor's June 8 memorandum directed agencies to notify affected employees and conform personnel records. This distinguishes publication of a rule from actual position-level action. [3]
November 2025: joint OMB–OPM staffing instructions
On November 5, 2025, Kupor and OMB Director Russell Vought jointly issued implementing guidance for Executive Order 14356. It instructed agencies to establish Strategic Hiring Committees by November 17 and to submit fiscal-year 2026 Annual Staffing Plans to OMB and OPM by December 1. The guidance identifies central notice addresses and requires quarterly updates. It is a documented government-wide direction, not proof Kupor personally signed off on any particular DHS or FEMA staffing number. [4]
On July 30, 2026, OPM issued further guidance for FY2027 staffing plans. Kupor's November 10, 2026 memorandum summarized final personnel-management regulations published October 29 and scheduled to take effect November 30, 2026. The rules establish joint OMB/OPM Annual Staffing Reviews and agency-head written certifications of chief human capital officer oversight. These future-effective provisions do not retroactively govern FEMA's 2025 proposal. [5] [6]
OPM's July 30, 2026 agency bulletin further instructed FY2027 plan submission through the federal Collect.opm.gov portal, warning that non-submitting agencies' USA Staffing access would be restricted pending submission and OMB/OPM approval. This documents an operational enforcement mechanism, not individual misconduct, a completed lockout, or retroactive approval of FEMA's 2025 staffing target. [7]
See the FEMA court evidence and the unresolved OMB/OPM approval question.
Sources
- Official OPM biography: Scott Kupor
- OPM final rule announcement February 2026
- OPM June 8, 2026 implementing memorandum from Scott Kupor
- OMB–OPM November 5, 2025 joint Annual Staffing Plans memorandum signed by Vought and Kupor
- OPM July 30, 2026 Annual Staffing Plans guidance
- OPM November 10, 2026 final-rule implementation memo; effective November 30
- OPM July 30, 2026 Collect.opm.gov agency data-submission bulletin and announced USA Staffing access enforcement
Evidence principle: Published proposal, appointment, document signature, agency action, and judicial ruling are different facts. A named relationship alone does not establish misconduct or authorship of another official's decision.