On July 7, President Trump further extended the hiring freeze he originally implemented on January 20. The hiring freeze for all civilian positions is now effective through October 15, 2025. The freeze prohibits filling any vacant federal civilian positions or creating new ones. The original freeze was good through April 20; however, it has now been extended twice.

The most recent extension maintains exemptions for positions involving immigration enforcement, national security, or public safety. It also does not apply to the Executive Office of the President or any of its components. The order continues a prohibition on contracting work to get around the hiring freeze.

When the freeze is eventually ended, agencies will be allowed to hire one new hire for every four employees who leave federal service.

The July 7 memo also requires all hiring be consistent with the Merit Hiring Plan issued by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on May 29, which outlines a major overhaul in federal hiring policy. The plan was issued pursuant to Trump’s directive that “[the hiring plan] brings to the federal workforce only highly capable Americans dedicated to the furtherance of American ideals, values, and interests.”

The memo lists four key elements of the hiring plan:

1. Reforming the federal recruitment process to ensure that only the most talented, capable and patriotic Americans are hired to the federal service;

2. Implementing skills-based hiring, eliminating unnecessary degree requirements, and requiring the use of rigorous, job-related assessments to ensure candidates are selected based on their merit and competence, not their skin color or academic pedigree;

3. Streamlining and improving the job application process; and,

4. Reducing time-to-hire to under 80 days by emphasizing the use of talent pools and shared certificates and streamlining the background check process.

Much of the plan, including the goals of reducing time-to-hire and the emphasis on skills-based hiring, as included in the Chance to Compete Act, is bipartisan and non-controversial. One aspect of the plan – requiring all candidates seeking a position at or above the General Schedule 5 (GS-5) level to complete four essay questions – has drawn significant criticism. The questions are prescribed as follows:

1. How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the federal government? Provide a concrete example from professional, academic, or personal experience.

2. In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? Provide specific examples where you improved processes, reduced costs, or improved outcomes.

3. How would you help advance the President’s Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired.

4. How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements? Provide one or two specific examples, and explain how those qualities would enable you to serve effectively in this position.

Question 3, in particular, drew the most scrutiny and criticism. Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA), called the questions “antithetical to the concept of an expert, nonpartisan civil service,” noting every fed is currently obligated to take an oath of office.

FMA members expressed concerns about how answers to these hiring questions would be graded or ranked, and by whom. One member suggested a better approach would be to ask applicants to write about what part of the agency’s mission is most significant to the job-seeker, rather than pledging allegiance to a specific executive order or policy initiative promoted by the current administration.

In June, OPM provided new guidance related to the use and grading of the essay questions.

“Answers to these questions are not scored or rated,” the guidance reads. “Agencies should treat responses to these questions in the same way they would treat the submission of a cover letter.” The guidance further says, “If an applicant does not answer the questions along with their application, they will not be disqualified or screened out.”

The answers to the essay questions “will be reviewed only by the hiring manager and agency leadership (or a designee), as part of an application packet forwarded to the manager and later to agency leadership if the candidate is recommended for selection.”