New Federal Hiring Restrictions Implemented
President Donald Trump has issued a new executive order replacing the expired federal hiring freeze with permanent restrictions that require political appointee approval for most government hiring positions. According to reports, the order came into effect Wednesday as the administration’s initial hiring freeze, implemented on January 20, reached its expiration date.
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The new directive, titled “Ensuring Continued Accountability in Federal Hiring,” maintains strict controls over federal employment while allowing exceptions for positions related to immigration enforcement, national security, public safety, and other positions cleared by the Office of Personnel Management. Sources indicate that the order effectively continues the hiring freeze for most positions while establishing new approval processes.
Strategic Hiring Committees to Oversee Process
The executive order mandates that federal agencies create “strategic hiring committees” led by political appointees who will approve which positions can be created or filled. According to the report, these committees will be chaired by the “deputy agency head and the chief of staff to the agency head,” both of whom are political appointees.
Analysts suggest this represents a significant shift from previous practices where career officials typically made hiring decisions. The order states these committees must ensure that “hiring is consistent with the national interest, agency needs, and the priorities of my administration,” giving senior political appointees decision-making authority over who joins the federal workforce.
Experts Voice Concerns About Politicization
Don Kettl, an emeritus professor at the University of Maryland who studies the civil service, told reporters that the new system represents “a significant increase in political control over hiring.” He noted that “it restricts hiring more tightly than ever before, with upper-level approval for every position and the potential of a partisan screen for every employee.”
The Trump administration had previously extended its initial hiring freeze twice since implementing it upon returning to office. The latest order states that “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,” indicating that most hiring will remain stalled.
Union and Workforce Response
Tim Kaufman, a spokesman for the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal labor union, reportedly commented that “the order says that while there’s a hiring freeze for regular competitive service positions, political appointees at each agency can hire people who are ideologically in line with Donald Trump’s political agenda.”
Federal employees across multiple agencies have described operational strain resulting from prolonged hiring freezes that have left key positions vacant. Sources indicate that many vacancies predate the current administration, and agencies had planned to fill them this year before the new restrictions were implemented.
Broader Administrative Context
The new hiring restrictions come amid other significant administrative developments, including international diplomatic efforts and technological advancements across various sectors. Meanwhile, private sector companies continue their product development cycles, with recent launches including Razer’s new webcam series and Apple’s Vision Pro upgrades.
The technology sector also sees continued innovation with Apple Intelligence expanding its features and Meta recruiting Apple’s AI search lead, highlighting contrasts between private sector hiring practices and the new federal restrictions.
The White House has not responded to questions about the new hiring rules, according to reports, leaving many details about implementation to be clarified through agency guidance in the coming weeks.
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