Executive Orders And Memoranda Summaries: Guidance For Federal Policies

This page offers a detailed overview of recent Presidential Actions concerning the federal workforce, including Executive Orders and Presidential Memoranda. It is intended to assist Department of Defense Human Resource Professionals and stakeholders by providing key details and implementation requirements for each directive. Clear summaries and direct links to the official guidance documents are included to ensure easy access to essential information, which will support effective compliance and execution of these policies across agencies.

Presidential Executive Order – Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Regulatory Initiative

This Executive Order, February 19, 2025, directs all Agency heads, in coordination with their Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Team Leads and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, to review all regulations subject to the Agency's’ sole or joint jurisdiction and determine whether ongoing enforcement of any regulations identified during the regulatory review are compliant with law and Administration policy.

Presidential Executive Order - Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies

This Executive Order, February 19, 2025, requires all executive departments and agencies to submit for review all proposed and final significant regulatory actions to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) within the Executive Office of the President before publication in the Federal Register.

Memorandum to Heads and Acting Heads of Departments and Agencies: Temporary Transition Schedule C and Schedule C Authorities and Noncareer Senior Executive Service Appointing Authorities

To support agencies’ transition needs, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is providing the following hiring flexibilities regarding Temporary Transition Schedule C and Schedule C appointments, and Noncareer and Limited Term Senior Executive Service (SES) appointment authorities

OPM Guidance:

Deferred Resignation Program

The deferred resignation program provides employees with an option to submit a deferred resignation letter with resignation effective on September 30, 2025. Employees who accept deferred resignation should have their duties re-assigned or eliminated and be placed on paid administrative leave until the end of the deferred resignation period, unless the agency head determines that it is necessary for the employee to be actively engaged in transitioning job duties, in which case employees should be placed on administrative leave as soon as those duties are transitioned.

OPM Guidance:

DoD Guidance:

Presidential Executive Order - Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Workforce Optimization Initiative

This Executive Order, February 11, 2025, directs a plan to reduce the size of the Federal Government’s workforce through efficiency improvements and attrition.

OMB/OPM Guidance:

Memorandum to Heads and Acting Heads of Departments and Agencies: Guidance Regarding Redesignating SES CIO Positions

Pursuant to its authority under 5 U.S.C. §§ 1103(a)(1), (5), and (7); 3132(b)(1) and 5 C.F.R. § 214.403, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (“OPM”) is providing guidance to agencies regarding agency Senior Executive Service (“SES”) Chief Information Officer (“CIO”) positions currently designated as career reserved.

In this memorandum OPM recommends that each agency with a CIO role classified as SES and designated as career reserved, send a request that OPM redesignate the position to “general” no later than Friday, February 14, 2025.

OPM Guidance:

Presidential Executive Order - Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government

This Executive Order 14168, January 20, 2025, directs each agency and all Federal employees to enforce laws governing sex-based rights, protections, opportunities, and accommodations to protect men and women as biologically distinct sexes.

OPM Guidance:

Presidential Executive Order – Eliminating the Federal Executive Institute

This Executive Order, February 10, 2025, directs OPM to take all necessary steps to eliminate the Federal Executive Institute, in accordance with applicable law.

Presidential Executive Order – Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy

This Executive Order, February 19, 2025, commences a reduction in the elements of the Federal bureaucracy that the President has determined are unnecessary. Reducing the size of the Federal Government will minimize Government waste and abuse, reduce inflation, and promote American freedom and innovation. Section 2(e) directs OPM to initiate the process to withdraw the regulations at title 5, part 362, subpart D, Code of Federal Regulations, and to take any other steps necessary to promptly terminate the Presidential Management Fellows Program.

Presidential Memorandum - Limiting Lame-Duck Collective Bargaining Agreements That Improperly Attempt To Constrain The New President

Disallows Collective Bargaining Agreements governing conditions of employment in the 30 days prior to a change in Presidential administrations, including new contractual obligations or substantive changes or duration extensions of existing agreements.

OPM Guidance:

Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing

This Executive Order terminates all DEIA programs, policies and activities within the Federal government; OPM and Attorney General to review all existing employment practices and union contracts and training to ensure compliance with order; all DEIA positions are terminated; and all agencies and departments must report all DEIA programs and personnel in place as of November 4, 2024.

OPM Guidance:

DOD Guidance:

Presidential Memorandum - Hiring Freeze

Implements a hiring freeze for all federal civilian positions. It prohibits positions being filled after noon on January 20, 2025. It provides for exceptions for military personnel, immigration enforcement, national security and public safety. It also provides that Social Security, Medicare and Veteran's benefits should not be adversely affected and grants OPM the opportunity to grant additional exceptions.

Additionally, requires a plan within 90 days to reduce the federal service through efficiency improvements and attrition. However, the IRS will remain under the freeze until additional determinations are made. Further, it prohibits contractors being used to fill gaps created under the freeze.

OPM Guidance:

Presidential Memorandum - Return to In-Person Work

This memorandum, January 20, 2025, directs the heads of all departments and agencies in the executive branch of Government to, as soon as practicable, take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis, provided that the department and agency heads shall make exemptions they deem necessary.

OPM Guidance:

DoD Guidance:

Presidential Executive Order: Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service

This Executive Order 14170, January 20, 2025, directs within 120 days, the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, and the Administrator of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), to develop and send to agency heads a Federal Hiring Plan that brings to the Federal workforce only highly skilled Americans dedicated to the furtherance of American ideals, values, and interests.

OPM Guidance:

Presidential Memorandum - Restoring Accountability for Career Senior Executives

Requires SES Performance Plans (developed by OPM/OMB for all SES); Increases accountability in the SES career service; reassigns some SES members; reconstitutes Executive Review Boards (ERBs) and Performance Review Boards; and recommends removal for underperforming SES.

OPM Guidance:

Presidential Executive Order - Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions within the Federal Workforce

On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14171 entitled, “Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce” This Executive Order Reinstates and amends Executive Order #13957 of October 21, 2020 (Creating Schedule F in the Excepted Service).

OPM Guidance: