Federal employees are in for a surprise treat this Christmas. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to give not only Christmas Eve but also December 26 as a day off to federal employees. Though former presidents, including Trump, have given Christmas Eve as a day off to federal employees, offering December 26 is uncommon.
As per a report by the New York Post, the move comes only months after the tough time experienced by the government workers during the record-breaking government shutdown, which lasted for 43 days and ended last month. Trump has granted the holiday extensions, which ultimately provide rest time for the hardworking government workers during this holiday season.
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Executive order information
Under the new order, heads of federal agencies and departments continue to have discretion to direct some of their employees to work on these days if there is a necessity to do so. In this way, necessary services are uninterrupted, yet at the same time, employees are given a break.
According to the report by the New York Post, historically, Presidents have occasionally given full or half days off on Christmas Eve. Trump had offered before that in both 2019 and 2020, so the addition of December 26 made that announcement particularly significant.
Holidays and the private sector
The report further states that holidays for government employees can set a trend that can be followed by the private sector. Though it only applies to those who are employed by the federal government, it can also affect companies to change their holiday schedules, especially around Christmas.
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In an interesting twist, Trump has, in the past, criticised the rising number of national holidays. In June, when it was about Juneteenth, Trump complained on Truth Social that "too many non-working holidays in America" were "costing the country billions of dollars." In contrast to these remarks, the initiative to add more holiday breaks indicates that there is some elasticity in administrative decisions. The workers don’t want it either! Soon we’ll end up having a holiday for every once working day of the year. It must change if we are going to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN", he further added.
Although it is within the presidents’ discretion to declare holiday dates for federal employees, a permanent holiday can only be implemented through a Congressional act. Furthermore, the Trump government has made changes to free entrance days for the National Park Service by deleting holiday dates such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth, as well as adding several others like the Presidents Day holiday, Memorial Day holiday, and Constitution Day holiday.
