Hiring Freeze

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Published

January 28, 2025

Signed

January 20, 2025

Issuing agencies

Executive Office of the President

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 17 (Tuesday, January 28, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 17 (Tuesday, January 28, 2025)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 8247-8248]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-01905]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 17 / Tuesday, January 28, 2025 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 8247]]


                Memorandum of January 20, 2025

                
Hiring Freeze

                Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and 
                Agencies

                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.

                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.

                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.

                Contracting outside the Federal Government to 
                circumvent the intent of this memorandum is prohibited.

                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.

                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.

[[Page 8248]]

                This memorandum does not abrogate any collective 
                bargaining agreement in effect on the date of this 
                memorandum.
                <GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    Washington, January 20, 2025

[FR Doc. 2025-01905
Filed 1-27-25; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P


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