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Presidential Memorandum

Hiring Freeze

This memorandum imposes an immediate freeze on hiring federal civilian employees across the executive branch, with exemptions for military personnel, immigration enforcement, national security, public safety, and certain political appointees. Within 90 days, OMB must submit a plan to reduce the federal workforce through efficiency and attrition; the freeze expires for most agencies upon that plan's issuance but remains for the IRS until the Treasury Secretary determines it should lift.

Federal Register Open PDF 90 FR 8247

Impact dates

  1. OMB submits plan to reduce federal workforce through efficiency and attrition

Key directives

  • Freeze all federal civilian hiring effective noon January 20, 2025
  • Prohibit filling vacant positions and creating new positions
  • Exempt military personnel, immigration enforcement, national security, public safety positions
  • Protect Social Security, Medicare, Veterans' benefits delivery
  • Allow OPM Director to grant exemptions as necessary
  • OMB Director to submit workforce reduction plan within 90 days
  • Freeze expires for most agencies upon OMB plan issuance
  • IRS freeze remains until Treasury Secretary determines national interest to lift
  • Prohibit contracting to circumvent freeze
  • Allow reallocations for highest priority needs and essential services
  • Exempt presidential appointees, Senate-confirmed officials, SES, Schedule A/C, temporary organization hires, other non-career employees with agency leadership approval
  • Preserve collective bargaining agreements

Who is ordered

Timeline

Immediate

  • Hiring freeze takes effect at noon January 20, 2025
  • Vacant positions frozen, new positions prohibited
  • Contracting circumvention prohibited

Near term (90d)

  • OMB must submit workforce reduction plan by April 20, 2025
  • Freeze expires for most agencies upon plan issuance

Long term

  • IRS freeze continues indefinitely until Treasury Secretary lifts it
  • Potential workforce reduction through attrition and efficiency measures

Risks & tensions

  • Potential service degradation if exemptions insufficient for operational needs
  • Contracting prohibition may strain existing workforce capacity
  • Indefinite IRS freeze creates uncertainty for tax administration
  • Workforce reduction through attrition may disproportionately affect certain agencies
  • Tension between efficiency goals and maintenance of public services
Presidential Memorandum: Hiring Freeze · Executive Orders