The Trump administration is urging agencies to lock in low staffing levels aligned with President Donald Trump’s priorities as the federal government shutdown lingers.
The Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management issued new guidance on Wednesday advising agencies how to implement Trump’s executive order on federal hiring. Trump has sought to pare down the federal workforce and has already exceeded his goal of only one new hire for each four federal employees leaving the government, according to the administration.
“No administration in history has achieved the historic workforce reductions President Trump achieved this year,” OMB Deputy Director for Management Eric Ueland said in a statement. “The president’s EO ensures those reductions will endure and that the government can effectively implement the president’s agenda for the American people.”
Trump’s order signed last month requires agencies to form strategic hiring committees, which include a majority of political appointees, to ensure that new career civil servants brought on will fulfill agency needs and the administration’s priorities. Agencies also have to draft annual staffing plans so those appointments line up with the president’s goals.
