Trump Issues Memo to Extend Federal Hiring Freeze Until July
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Synopsis
On April 18, President Donald Trump announced the extension of the federal hiring freeze until July 15, a move aimed at cutting government spending. This measure, part of a broader strategy with Elon Musk, restricts federal agencies from filling or creating new positions, with exceptions for essential services.
Key Takeaways
- Federal hiring freeze has been extended until July 15.
- Only positions related to national security and public safety are exempt.
- This measure is part of an effort to reduce government spending.
- The hiring freeze aims to prevent the growth of the federal workforce.
- Trump's administration emphasizes private-sector job growth.
Washington, April 18 (NationPress) - President Donald Trump has officially signed a memorandum that extends the federal hiring freeze until July 15, as announced by Harrison Fields, the principal deputy press secretary at the White House, on the social media platform X.
This initiative is part of the collaborative efforts between President Trump and Elon Musk aimed at drastically reducing federal government expenditures, according to a report from CNN.
The initial directive prohibited the establishment of new federal civilian roles and barred the filling of any open positions.
However, it does allow for hiring in areas crucial for maintaining essential services and ensuring national security, homeland security, and public safety.
A fact sheet released by the White House described this action as a vital measure to reduce the size of the federal government and guarantee that taxpayer funds are utilized effectively.
The document stated, “The American people elected President Trump to drain the swamp and eliminate ineffective government programs that empower bureaucracy without delivering measurable outcomes.”
The hiring freeze prevents federal agencies from filling vacancies or creating new positions, with the only exceptions made for roles related to immigration enforcement, national security, or public safety.
As the freeze lasts until July 15, once it concludes, agencies will be permitted to hire only one person for every four that exit.
This hiring freeze originated from an executive order issued by Trump on his inaugural day, initially set to expire on Sunday.
The administration remarked in January, “The President will usher in a Golden Age for America by reforming and enhancing the government bureaucracy to serve the American populace.”
It was also noted that bureaucratic hiring would be frozen, except in critical sectors, to cease the influx of inefficient and overcompensated Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) advocates embedded within the federal workforce.
This hiring freeze is reminiscent of a similar initiative launched by Trump at the start of his first term.
A memorandum he endorsed in January 2017 established a freeze on federal government hiring, aside from military and other essential positions.
Since January, numerous federal agencies have undergone significant restructuring, including mass layoffs, while others have been entirely dissolved due to the influence of Elon Musk, whom Trump appointed as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The Department of Education has been cut by almost 50 percent, while the Health and Human Services Department has seen a reduction of about 24 percent.
Other agencies that have experienced reductions of around 10 percent or more include the National Science Foundation, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Energy Department, among others.
A fact sheet from the White House noted, “During the last two years of the Biden Administration, government was directly accountable for creating more than 1 in every 4 jobs.”
“President Trump is determined to reverse this trend by focusing on private-sector job creation and trimming down the federal workforce to concentrate on essential operations.”
Trump initiated his new term by mandating federal employees return to in-person work after extended work-from-home policies left many government buildings in Washington largely empty, or face termination.
He stated, “We don’t want them to work from home because, as everyone knows, most of the time they are not productive. It’s unfair to the millions of Americans working diligently at job sites instead of from home.”
Recently, the Supreme Court intervened to block a lower court ruling that mandated the Trump administration reinstate thousands of federal employees who had been terminated during mass layoffs.
The justices issued this ruling following the administration's emergency appeal against a California judge's decision that required 16,000 probationary employees across six federal agencies to be reinstated while a lawsuit proceeds.
