Summary

Summary of Executive Order on Hiring Freeze

Purpose

The executive order places a freeze on the hiring of Federal civilian employees across the executive branch, aiming to enhance efficiency and manage government workforce size.

Actions Taken

• Hiring Freeze: Effective January 20, 2025, the order prohibits filling vacant positions and creating new ones, with specific exceptions.
• Exemptions: The freeze does not apply to:
• Military personnel
• Positions related to immigration enforcement, national security, or public safety
• Social Security, Medicare, or Veterans’ benefits
• Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Plan: Within 90 days, the OMB, in consultation with other agencies, must present a plan to reduce workforce size through efficiency improvements and attrition.
• Internal Revenue Service (IRS): The hiring freeze remains in effect for the IRS until deemed necessary to lift it by the Secretary of the Treasury.
• Prohibition of Workarounds: Contracting to bypass the hiring freeze is not allowed.
• Reallocations: Agencies can reallocate resources to meet essential needs while maintaining public services and national security.

Expected Impact

• The freeze aims to improve the efficiency of government operations and potentially decrease the overall size of the federal workforce.
• It preserves essential services and benefits while seeking to reduce redundancy and improve public service delivery.
• The order does not affect the appointment processes for presidentially appointed positions and upholds existing collective bargaining agreements.