Key Takeaways
- Federal Hiring Under Tight Scrutiny: The order requires agencies to form Strategic Hiring Committees and submit annual staffing plans to ensure every position aligns with the administration’s national priorities.
- Focus on Security, Not Bureaucracy: Exceptions to the hiring restrictions include national security, immigration enforcement, and public safety roles — reaffirming Trump’s emphasis on protecting Americans first.
- Efficiency Over Expansion: The order builds on Trump’s earlier workforce reduction initiative, which has already surpassed its target ratio of four departures for every new hire, signaling a continued push for smaller, more efficient government.
President Donald Trump signed a sweeping new executive order on Wednesday aimed at tightening control over federal hiring, capping the size of the government workforce, and holding agencies accountable for how they spend taxpayer dollars.
The order, titled Ensuring Continued Accountability in Federal Hiring, builds on Trump’s earlier “Department of Government Efficiency” initiative, which set a goal of cutting four federal positions for every new hire. According to the White House, that ratio has already been surpassed, with thousands of bureaucratic positions eliminated in less than a year.
“In just eight months, my Administration has dramatically reduced the size of the Federal workforce,” the order states, touting a leaner, more efficient government that prioritizes national security, border control, and public safety over what Trump has called “bloated bureaucracy.”
Under the new policy, federal agencies will now face strict oversight before filling any open positions. Each department must form a Strategic Hiring Committee to review and approve vacancies, ensuring that every hire aligns with national priorities and serves the public interest. Agencies will also be required to submit detailed annual staffing plans to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), along with quarterly progress reports.
The order exempts military personnel and roles tied to national security, immigration enforcement, and public safety — areas Trump has prioritized since returning to office.
A senior administration official told reporters the order is about “restoring merit, cutting waste, and making sure federal hiring works for the American people, not the bureaucrats.”
The move comes as part of Trump’s broader effort to rein in federal spending and shrink Washington’s footprint. The administration has also placed new restrictions on contractors and outside hiring, preventing agencies from outsourcing work to bypass the reforms.
Trump’s order concludes that the measure will not affect veterans’ benefits, Medicare, or Social Security services, ensuring that critical programs remain protected while the government trims inefficiency elsewhere.
By placing hiring power back in the hands of accountable leadership, the administration says it aims to restore fiscal discipline and efficiency to a federal workforce that has ballooned over decades of unchecked growth.