White House extends federal hiring freeze until July for most

President Donald Trump extended his administration’s hiring freeze of all federal civilian positions for another 89 days in a memo released Thursday evening. 

The freeze, which the president initially ordered on Jan. 20, prevents the hiring of civilian employees at federal agencies for either vacancies or new positions. The initial executive order was set to run through April 20, but will now last until July 15. 

“Except as provided below, this freeze continues to apply to all executive departments and agencies regardless of their sources of operational and programmatic funding,” the memo said, noting that it does not affect Department of Government Efficiency-mandated deadlines for reducing agency workforces.

And at IRS, there is still no end in sight, as the president reiterated that the hiring freeze there is indefinite. The lifting of the hiring freeze there would require the Treasury secretary, Office of Management and Budget director and DOGE administrator to determine it is in “the national interest” to do so.

The extension continues exceptions for agencies involved with national security, immigration or law enforcement functions, and it reiterates language in the initial hiring freeze aiming to protect the “provision of Social Security, Medicare, or veterans’ benefits.” Despite that exemption, the Defense Department is operating under its own hiring freeze, instituted last month by Secretary Pete Hegseth.

And at the Social Security Administration, which is already at a 50-year staffing low and is aiming to cut 7,000 employees from its 57,000 workforce this fiscal year, whistleblowers have alleged that Frank Bisignano, who is still awaiting Senate confirmation to lead the agency, has demanded officials clear any new hires with him personally.

Also exempt from the hiring freeze are political appointees hired through Schedule A or C of the excepted service, as well as any other non-career senior executives. The Office of Personnel Management last week issued new guidance encouraging agencies to increase pay for Schedule C hires–up to and including the federal pay cap of $195,200–and to cut career HR officials out of the onboarding process.

Carten Cordell contributed to this report.