SES is pretty much just a pay scale for top bureaucrats and appointees like GS is for most Fed employees. All Cabinet members are SES. Bloggers who didn’t know it was there started making up stuff about it when they discovered SES.
I believe the President can fire any member of the SES but can’t fire GS employees.
He can’t fire them but apparent provision in the Omnibus allowed for salaries to be lowered to $1 ;)
I think that is what happened. Now, it has a life of its own. Just my opinion, but discussing "SES" as some sort of automatic Deep State entity helps to de-legitimize the movement. All it takes is from some MSM reporter to bring up the topic, point out that many of Trump's own appointments and White House hires hold that Federal civilian rank, and we lose credibility.
Not trying to start an argument or fight or anything. I had enough of that last week.