I agree that the average federal employee should be protected from being fired and replaced whenever the White House changes hands.

I don't. When in the private sector, if your company many gets sold or merges or undergoes downsizing or any of a myriad of changes, you aren't afforded employee for life status, so neither should they be.

Seriously, except for higher ups, how often does someone go from public sector to private sector? Never. It never happens, and it should happen at least as frequently as 4.3 years, to match private sector employer changes.