Federal exemptions to Trump's widespread hiring freeze are progressively being defined
In a move reminiscent of his previous term, President Trump has instituted a governmentwide hiring freeze through an executive order earlier this week. The freeze, which is set to expire after 90 days, requires agencies to submit plans for permanently reducing their workforce through efficiencies and attrition.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) have been identified as key actors in the implementation of this freeze. Exemptions from the hiring freeze must be approved in writing by Amanda Scales, the new chief of staff at OPM.
Not all positions are affected by the freeze. Exemptions have been made for positions related to immigration enforcement, national security, public safety, distribution of benefits to veterans, Medicare recipients, and Social Security recipients. The language of Trump's order suggests that Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, either in whole or in part, would be exempt to carry out Trump's immigration and border security crackdown.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has not yet confirmed whether they will exempt their entire workforce, and some employees within certain parts of DHS have been informed that their offices may be impacted. The Veterans Affairs Department is considering exempting employees at the Veterans Benefits Administration from the hiring freeze.
The Defense Department has exempted all of its civilian positions from the freeze, allowing hiring for approximately 750,000 roles to continue. However, the Internal Revenue Service will face a longer freeze, per Trump's order.
Anyone whose start date was slated for after Feb. 8 will have their job offers rescinded, unless they were already onboarded prior to Jan. 20 or their start date was scheduled for on or before Feb. 8. Positions that are still vacant must have job postings taken down and correspondence with prospective applicants ceased.
Doug Collins, Trump's pick to lead VA, may freeze hiring for some health care staff. This decision could potentially have significant impacts on agencies and potentially pronounced fallout to their missions, with some agencies taking years to recover from backlogs during Trump's previous term.
It's important to note that vacancies do not necessarily equate to a need for the department. Agency heads can request special permission from OPM to reinstate rescinded job offers.
Amanda Scales, the chief of staff at OPM, is a member of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and a former employee of Elon Musk's xAI. The hiring freeze is likely to have far-reaching consequences for the federal workforce, and it remains to be seen how agencies will navigate these changes.
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