Trump Orders Hiring Freeze and Return to Work for Federal Employees

Among the myriad executive orders issued by President Trump in the hours after his inauguration, two focus on the number and location of federal employees.

The first is a return-to-work order, requiring all employees of the executive branch to return to work in person on a fulltime basis. The order does not provide a timeline but requires that the heads of departments and agencies “terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person” “as soon as practicable.” Department and agency heads may make exemptions from the return-to-work rule as they “deem necessary.” The exact impact of this order is unknown at this time.

The second is a hiring freeze of federal civilian employees in the executive branch. Any job positions that were unfilled as of 12:00 p.m. on January 20, 2025, can no longer be filled. No new job position may be created, unless otherwise required by law or via exemptions specifically granted by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). This order does not apply to military personnel or any positions “related to immigration enforcement, national security, or public safety.” Further, this order does not impact collective bargaining agreements already in place. Departments and agencies are directly prohibited from contracting with third parties to avoid this order.

This hiring freeze order will stay in place for 90 days, at which point the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), with OPM and United States DOGE Service (USDS), will submit a plan to reduce the size of the government workforce. The order will then be lifted for all departments other than the Internal Revenue Service, which will be subject to the order until the Secretary of the Treasury, with OMB and USDS, lifts the hiring freeze.

The impact of these orders outside the federal government is currently unknown, but we will keep our readers updated as circumstances evolve.