Fed hiring freeze guidance coming

The Defense Department is finishing its guidance addressing what civilian jobs it plans to exempt from President Trump’s Jan. 23 federal hiring freeze order, according to DOD spokesman Johnny Michael. The president’s freeze order says executive department agency heads “may exempt … any positions that it deems necessary to meet national security or public safety responsibilities.” The freeze does not apply to military personnel. The Veterans Affairs Department is the only department to release guidance on what positions it will exempt. Eight senators from states with Navy shipyards sent a Jan. 26 letter to Defense Secretary James Mattis urging him to exempt Navy shipyard civilian jobs from the hiring freeze. (Source: Government Executive 01/30/17) The Navy’s four public shipyards are located in Norfolk, Va.; Kittery, Maine; Bremerton, Wash.; and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.