Hiring Freeze
President [President's Name] issued an executive order enacting a hiring freeze for federal civilian employees, effective January 20, 2025.
Exemptions apply to national security, public safety, and essential services like Social Security, Medicare, and Veterans' benefits.
The Office of Management and Budget must submit a plan to reduce the federal workforce's size within 90 days, at which point the freeze will expire for most agencies, barring the IRS. Contracting to circumvent the freeze is prohibited.
Arguments For
- Intended benefits: Reducing the size and cost of the federal government, potentially freeing up resources for other priorities.
- Evidence cited: The order cites the President's constitutional authority and the laws of the United States as the basis for the action. The document does not, however, present specific evidence supporting the need for a hiring freeze.
- Implementation methods: A direct order to all executive branch departments and agencies to halt hiring, with exceptions outlined. A 90-day plan for workforce reduction will be developed.
- Legal/historical basis: The President's constitutional authority and existing laws are cited as the basis for the order.
Arguments Against
- Potential impacts: Disruption of government services due to staffing shortages, decreased responsiveness to public needs, and potential delays in essential programs.
- Implementation challenges: The complexity of implementing a blanket freeze, ensuring compliance across numerous agencies, navigating exceptions, managing potential legal challenges from affected employees or unions.
- Alternative approaches: Exploring alternative strategies for workforce reduction, such as voluntary early retirement programs, targeted restructuring, and efficiency improvements without a complete hiring freeze. Alternative strategies may lessen negative effects and prevent an erosion of essential services.
- Unintended effects: Potential negative impacts on morale and productivity within the federal workforce, difficulties attracting and retaining qualified personnel. Difficulty in adapting to evolving needs in different areas within the government.
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order a freeze on the hiring of Federal civilian employees, to be applied throughout the executive branch. As part of this freeze, no Federal civilian position that is vacant at noon on January 20, 2025, may be filled, and no new position may be created except as otherwise provided for in this memorandum or other applicable law. Except as provided below, this freeze applies to all executive departments and agencies regardless of their sources of operational and programmatic funding.
The President uses their constitutional authority to issue a hiring freeze for all federal civilian employees across the executive branch.
The freeze prevents filling existing vacancies and creating new positions, unless specifically exempted.
This applies to all agencies, regardless of their funding sources, with some exceptions noted later.
This order does not apply to military personnel of the armed forces or to positions related to immigration enforcement, national security, or public safety. Moreover, nothing in this memorandum shall adversely impact the provision of Social Security, Medicare, or Veterans’ benefits. In addition, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) may grant exemptions from this freeze where those exemptions are otherwise necessary.
The freeze excludes military personnel and positions crucial for immigration enforcement, national security, or public safety.
The provision of Social Security, Medicare, and Veterans' benefits will not be affected.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) director can grant additional exemptions where needed.
Within 90 days of the date of this memorandum, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in consultation with the Director of OPM and the Administrator of the United States DOGE Service (USDS), shall submit a plan to reduce the size of the Federal Government’s workforce through efficiency improvements and attrition. Upon issuance of the OMB plan, this memorandum shall expire for all executive departments and agencies, with the exception of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This memorandum shall remain in effect for the IRS until the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Director of OMB and the Administrator of USDS, determines that it is in the national interest to lift the freeze.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), working with the OPM and the U.S. Digital Service (USDS), must create a plan to reduce the federal workforce within 90 days.
Once this plan is released, the hiring freeze ends, except for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
The IRS freeze will continue until the Treasury Secretary determines lifting it is in the national interest.
Contracting outside the Federal Government to circumvent the intent of this memorandum is prohibited.
The memorandum prohibits using outside contractors to avoid its restrictions.
In carrying out this memorandum, the heads of executive departments and agencies shall seek efficient use of existing personnel and funds to improve public services and the delivery of these services. Accordingly, this memorandum does not prohibit making reallocations to meet the highest priority needs, maintain essential services, and protect national security, homeland security, and public safety.
Executive departments and agencies must efficiently use existing personnel and funding to enhance public services.
Reallocations are permitted to address urgent requirements, sustain crucial services, and guarantee national and public safety.
This memorandum does not limit the nomination and appointment of officials to positions requiring Presidential appointment or Senate confirmation, the appointment of officials to non-career positions in the Senior Executive Service or to Schedule A or C positions in the Excepted Service, the appointment of officials through temporary organization hiring authority pursuant to section 3161 of title 5, United States Code, or the appointment of any other non-career employees or officials if approved by agency leadership appointed by the President. Moreover, it does not limit the hiring of personnel where such a limit would conflict with applicable law.
The memorandum does not restrict the nomination and appointment of officials to positions requiring Presidential or Senate confirmation; non-career positions in the Senior Executive Service or Schedule A or C positions; temporary organizational hiring; or the hiring of other non-career employees or officials approved by presidential appointees.
Hiring restrictions do not overrule any existing law.
This memorandum does not abrogate any collective bargaining agreement in effect on the date of this memorandum.
The memorandum doesn't cancel out any collective bargaining agreements that already exist.