The point is that we know what this administration means by 'merrit based', it means to fire anyone who dissagres, particularly women and non-whites, while hirering grosely incompetent TV-people. The only 'merrit' is loyalty.

"the University must adopt and implement merit-based hiring policies, and cease all preferences based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin throughout its hiring, promotion, compensation, and related practices among faculty, staff, and leadership"