April 18 (UPI) — President Donald Trump has extended his federal government hiring freeze for another three months.
Trump signed a memorandum to bar civilian hirings through July 15 on Thursday.
“No federal civilian position that is presently vacant may be filled, and no new position may be created,” the memorandum states. The extension does not apply to the military or positions related to national or public security or the Executive Office of the President, the document states.
According to a White House fact sheet on the memorandum, if the hiring freeze is not extended and expires on July 15, agencies will only be able to hire one employee for every four that depart from federal service.
“The American people elected President Trump to drain the swamp and end ineffective government programs that empower government without achieving measurable results,” the fact sheet states.
Trump implemented the hiring freeze on his first day in office with the aim of shrinking the federal government and curbing wasteful spending.
Since returning to the White House on Jan. 20, his administration has also conducted mass firings of tens of thousands of federal employees with this same end in mind.
