Trump signs order giving federal employees Christmas Eve off

[left-of-center2012]

Source: The Hill

President Trump on Tuesday night signed an executive order that gives federal employees the day off on Christmas Eve. The executive order, which was released online, says that executive departments and agencies of the federal government will be closed on Dec. 24.

"All executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed and their employees excused from duty on Monday, December 24, 2018, the day before Christmas Day," the order states.

The order notes that some workers may be required to show up for work “for reasons of national security, defense, or other public need.” It also gives heads of executive departments and agencies discretion to decide if offices should remain open on Dec. 24.

The executive order comes as federal employees face uncertainty because of the possibility that the government will shut down this week. Congress must approve a budget in order to keep the government open past Friday.

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/422029-trump-signs-order-making-christmas-eve-a-holiday-for-federal

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The Washington Post noted that federal workers have been given the Monday before Christmas off in the past. Former President George W. Bush issued an executive order similar to Trump's in 2001 and 2007.

Former President Obama issued the same order in 2012. Obama also excused federal employees from working the day after Christmas in 2014, according to The Post. Christmas fell on a Thursday that year.

[Dennis Donovan]

1. whata guy...

I guess it's something...

[mpcamb]

2. Pimping the evangelicals?

[NutmegYankee]

28. Longstanding tradition - if Christmas fell on a Tues or Thurs the single day was given as paid leave

[mpcamb]

35. I noticed he got the word "Christmas" in the statement. That's what I was referencing.

[NutmegYankee]

38. I think every president has, Christmas is a federal holiday.

People focus on religion, but it makes sense to make a day the vast majority of your workforce wants off a holiday. Even known atheist coworkers participate for their children.

[moriah]

39. No, more like "Why open when because of the calendar more than half will use a vaca day?"

Are companies that give the Friday after Thanksgiving pimping the poultry industry? (Thought that was taken care of via the governmental turkey pardon.)

[dubyadiprecession]

3. So it's back to work, bright and early..

Christmas Day??

[TreasonousBastard]

4. BFD. Looks like we might be off for the rest of the month anyway.

[Botany]

5. As he goes away to spend 2 + weeks golfing and making money on it too

When does this madness stop?

[Iliyah]

6. I know the GOPers . . .

in particular this messed up administration, WH and dumb ass t-rump with pence don't know how to govern nor do they care, but I have to said this . .

Along with other decisions this effed up WH has done, this decision to shut down the government is heartless and way dumber . .

[BumRushDaShow]

7. One of my sisters just texted me about it

Traditionally Presidents did this if Christmas Day fell on a Tuesday (Monday off) or if Christmas Day fell on a Thursday (Friday off).

[KPN]

11. And 2-4 hours off in afternoon if it fell on Wednesday.

I retired from 36 yrs with the federal govt. This is SOP.

[BumRushDaShow]

17. Yup

(and I think I remember 1 time with a 1/2 day before Thanksgiving). Retired after 32 years!

[KPN]

22. I was DOI Bureau of Land Mgmt -- we always

got a half day off the day before Txgiving.

[BumRushDaShow]

24. Lucky you!

Most of the time we got 2 hours and in the pre-email days it often happened about an hour before we would normally leave anyway because the district office was <quote> "Waiting for headquarters to call to give the official word." <end quote>

[TeamPooka]

29. It's about the long weekends and letting people travel without having to work that one day before or

after the weekend in between the holiday
trump finally did a thing I agree with

[BumRushDaShow]

32. Oh I know. I am a 30+ year retired fed!

But as a former supervisor too, it's also about the fact that many people would have put in leave for those days anyway, so offices would often be short-staffed (this is "use or lose" time of year) and employees aren't doing much "work" per se (although some higher-ups purposely try to manufacture some crises around the holidays... ).

I had heard from our building maintenance guys in the past that it was wasteful/not cost-effective to have to shut the building (HVAC) down for one day and then bring everything back up again, only to shut it down the following day.

[Bengus81]

8. So...a load of Christmas presents could be setting in USPS mail facilites?

[Polybius]

9. Does this mean no mail on 12-24?

Hope that's not the case.

[Bengus81]

10. That's what I was wondering....

[obamanut2012]

12. Mail will still be delivered

[JohnnyRingo]

13. With pay?

It doesn't specifically say so and it's still not a federal holiday. Closing an office and telling people not to report for work is not the same as a paid holiday.

[Major Nikon]

14. With pay

Pretty much every president in recent memory has given full or partial X-mas eve off and it works like any other federal holiday.

[NutmegYankee]

26. Given only if Christmas fell on a Tuesday or Thursday

with that day being the 24th or 26th respectively.

[sdfernando]

15. Geez...

Orange Pustule: I'm sorry the government shut down and you will be on unpaid leave for two-weeks....But here, I"m giving you a paid vacation day to make up for it. Aren't I a great guy?....the greatest!

Then whispering to orange pustule the lesser and plastic pence: No, I'm not really sorry.

[hurple]

16. Wow

This is like, literally, the only decent thing he's done since taking office. And, I bet, somebody even had to trick him into doing this.

[smb]

18. Standard Procedure

They figured out that so many people took vacation days that it was cheaper to just shut down the buildings completely.

[KewlKat]

19. Does that mean he's not shutting the government down?

[haele]

20. That's SOP for the Federal Government since I joined the Navy back in 1977.

And I imagine it was SOP since Christmas became a Federal holiday and it was noticed most people either took a vacation day or took off early to prepare for Christmas Eve.
Just like the day after Thanksgiving is typically given off, as very few people would come in at that time, as they had already decided to use one day for four days off work, or were recovering from Turkey-day at the home of the family member who was hosting the get-together.
I doubt that he even noticed he signed it.

Haele

[CreekDog]

25. Incorrect, the day after Thanksgiving has almost never been a holiday

For the Federal Government.

They have almost always been open for business.

[msongs]

21. will trump endorse and support any other religions' holiday? nt

[onenote]

27. Were you this concerned when other presidents did exactly the same thing?

https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2012/12/21/executive-order-closing-executive-departments-and-agencies-federal-gover

[NutmegYankee]

31. Would you prefer to ruin people's holidays because they are forced to come in?

Christmas is a federal holiday because a majority of the workforce wants the day off, and if it wasn't a holiday any office open would not be staffed to function or would have to force people to come in.

[Totally Tunsie]

23. Ya' mean they finally found something for him to do without screwing it up?

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

30. I like Pres Obamas more expansive plan.

We work alllll damn year. What's a few days off? Come on. They are NATIONAL HOLIDAYS for a reason. It's when we are good to each other and ourselves. We are at our best on holiday. IMO we need those days more than ever now to heal our families, or relationships w our neighbors and friends, and the world at large.

[Varaddem]

33. Back already!

Hope you are feeling much better LOC!

[Lefta Dissenter]

34. Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but

Couldn’t he have made the declaration a little sooner, so people could plan their extended weekends?

[truthisfreedom]

36. Syria, now this... any distraction at all...

[meadowlander]

37. Mueller and his team will still be in.

Can't end the investigation that easily :-P