“No Federal civilian position that is presently vacant may be filled, and no new position may be created, except as otherwise provided for in this memorandum or required by applicable law,” Trump wrote.
He first signed the federal hiring freeze on Jan. 20, and it was set to expire on April 20.
Military personnel and positions related to immigration enforcement, national security, and public safety are exempt from the hiring freeze. However, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth initiated his own hiring freeze last month.
The hiring freeze must not negatively affect the administration of Social Security, Medicare, or veterans’ benefits.
Trump said the IRS hiring freeze will only be lifted once Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent consults with the Office of Personnel Management director and DOGE administrator Elon Musk and concludes it is in the “national interest” to end the hiring freeze. This notice must then be published in the Federal Register.
WHAT IS DOGE? WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY
It is the goal of the Trump administration, through the implementation of DOGE, to reduce the size of the federal workforce by 10%.
So far, through mass layoffs, the “Fork in the Road” initiative, a package that offered workers benefits through September upon resignation and planned reductions, the Trump administration is predicting a 12% reduction in the federal workforce. There have been 56,230 confirmed cuts, 76,100 employees who took the buyouts and at least 146,320 planned reductions, according to data collected by the New York Times.
