President Donald Trump on late Wednesday signed a new executive order that told agencies to restrict hiring throughout the federal government, providing some exceptions related to immigration enforcement, national and public security, and political appointees.
The hiring committees “shall include the deputy agency head and the chief of staff to the agency head, along with such other senior officials as the agency head may designate,” and will make sure that the agency provides “written notice of approved hires” to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), according to text of a memo he signed.
“No federal civilian position that is vacant may be filled, and no new position may be created, except as provided for in this order or required by applicable law,” the directive said.
The order, according to the sheet, also “ensures no adverse impacts on Social Security, Medicare, or veterans’ benefits, and allows the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to grant appropriate exceptions as needed.”
Since taking office a second time, Trump has made a priority of slimming down the federal government, which he has said is rife with fraud, waste, and abuse. During the ongoing shutdown, the president and OMB head Russell Vought have said they would initiate layoffs as Trump stated earlier this week that the shutdown is an “unprecedented opportunity” to cut “Democrat programs that aren’t popular with Republicans.”
Last week, the Justice Department confirmed that more than 4,100 notices were sent out to employees, while Vought told a podcast on Wednesday that he’s planning to lay off at least 10,000.
“Much of the reporting has been based on kind of court snapshots,” Vought said Wednesday on the “Charlie Kirk Show.”
“I think it’ll get much higher,” he also said. “I think we’ll probably end up being somewhere north of 10,000.”