in effect
This is a presidential executive order (Executive Order 14170), signed January 20, 2025 and published in the Federal Register on January 30, 2025. It directs the executive branch to overhaul how the federal government recruits and hires civilian employees. It orders the creation of a government-wide “Federal Hiring Plan” and sets goals the plan must meet.
Within 120 days of the order, the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy — working with the heads of the Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — must produce a Federal Hiring Plan and send it to agency heads. The plan must set a target of reducing government-wide time-to-hire to under 80 days, roll out skills-based and alternative assessments as called for by the Chance to Compete Act of 2024, and add data analytics and digital tools to recruiting. It requires that hiring not be based on race, sex, or religion, and directs agencies to give applicants clearer, more regular updates on their application status. It also calls for agency-specific plans to reallocate Senior Executive Service positions across the Cabinet departments and several named agencies (EPA, OMB, SBA, Social Security Administration, National Science Foundation, OPM, and GSA). OPM must set performance metrics to track the reforms and consult with agencies, labor organizations, and other stakeholders.
The order applies to federal agencies and their human resources operations, the senior officials named to write and carry out the plan (Domestic Policy office, OMB, OPM, DOGE), and agency leaders who must implement it. It also affects people applying for federal jobs, who would face revised assessments, faster timelines, and different communication. The order states it creates no legally enforceable rights and must be carried out consistent with existing law and available funding.