; (ii) terminate an appointment to a position excepted from the competitive service because of its confidential policy-making, policy-determining, or policy-advocating character; or (iii) reassign an employee outside such employee’s locality pay area when the Commission determines that the reassignment is necessary for the efficient operation of the Commission. (4) Pay (A) Protection (i) In general Except as provided in clause (ii), each transferred employee shall, during the 3-year period beginning on the designated transfer date, receive pay at a rate equal to not less than the basic rate of pay (including any geographic differential) that the employee received during the pay period immediately preceding the date of transfer. (ii) Limitation Notwithstanding clause (i), if the employee was receiving a higher rate of basic pay on a temporary basis (because of a temporary assignment, temporary promotion, or other temporary action) immediately before the date of transfer, the Commission may reduce the rate of basic pay on the date on which the rate would have been reduced but for the transfer, and the protected rate for the remainder of the 3-year period shall be the reduced rate that would have applied, but for the transfer. (B) Exceptions Subparagraph (A) does not limit the right of the Commission to reduce the rate of basic pay of a transferred employee— (i) for cause or for unacceptable performance