Lead
On December 18, 2025, the President issued an order directing that federal executive departments and agencies be closed and employees excused from duty on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, and Friday, December 26, 2025, the day before and the day after Christmas Day. The order authorizes department and agency heads to keep certain offices open or require staff to work when national security, defense, or other public needs demand. It instructs the Office of Personnel Management to take steps to implement the directive and ties pay and leave effects to prior executive and statutory authorities. The order was signed by President Donald J. Trump and published as an official presidential action.
Key Takeaways
- The President signed the order on December 18, 2025, designating Dec. 24 and Dec. 26, 2025, as closures for executive departments and agencies.
- The closure excuses employees from duty on those two dates but permits agency heads to require some staff to report for national security, defense, or other public-need reasons.
- The order expressly connects these days to Executive Order 11582 (Feb. 11, 1971) and to 5 U.S.C. 5546 and 6103(b), affecting pay and leave treatment.
- The Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is tasked with implementing the order and handling administrative follow-up.
- Implementation must comply with applicable law and depends on appropriations; the order does not create enforceable legal rights against the United States.
- Agency budget, operational continuity, and emergency services remain subject to existing legal authorities and OMB functions.
Background
Federal practice routinely includes presidential orders or directives that designate government-wide closures for major holidays. Those directives typically clarify pay, leave, and operational exceptions so essential functions—such as national security, emergency response, and critical infrastructure—continue uninterrupted. Executive Order 11582 and provisions of title 5 of the U.S. Code have been used historically as the legal framework to coordinate pay and administrative treatment when the President designates government closures adjacent to federal holidays.
Agency heads, guided by their statutory authorities and operational responsibilities, routinely determine which components must remain active during designated closures. The Office of Personnel Management traditionally issues guidance after such presidential actions to set pay and leave mechanics and to advise agencies on administrative implementation. Budgetary and appropriations constraints, as well as OMB oversight on budgetary and legislative matters, remain relevant when agencies adjust staffing or overtime in response to closures.
Main Event
On December 18, 2025, the President signed and released the order that directs the closure of executive departments and agencies on December 24 and December 26, 2025. The text states that employees will be excused from duty on those days, subject to exceptions for offices that must remain open. The directive identifies national security, defense, and other public-need reasons as bases for requiring particular employees to report to work.
The order explicitly references Executive Order 11582 (Feb. 11, 1971) and statutory provisions in 5 U.S.C. (including 5546 and 6103(b)) to ensure those two days are treated consistently with existing pay and leave rules. It assigns the Director of the Office of Personnel Management responsibility for any actions necessary to carry out the order. The order also contains general provisions preserving existing agency authorities and the functions of the Office of Management and Budget.
Implementation language reiterates that the directive will be carried out consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations. It further states that the order does not create any enforceable substantive or procedural rights against the United States, its agencies, or employees. The publication costs for the order are to be borne by OPM, and the document is signed by President Donald J. Trump.
Analysis & Implications
Operationally, the order standardizes the two pre- and post-Christmas work pauses for the executive branch, which simplifies planning for nonessential personnel and aligns federal practice with many private- and state-sector schedules. For many agencies, clear designation of closure days reduces administrative ambiguity about leave charging and pay, especially when statutory references are invoked to govern pay entitlements and holiday treatment.
However, practical burdens will fall to agencies that must maintain continuous operations—defense, homeland security, law enforcement, air traffic control, and emergency response. Those organizations will need to identify critical personnel, authorize required staffing, and address any compensatory pay or premium overtime consistent with 5 U.S.C. and agency pay rules. Budget holders and OMB may need to review any unplanned overtime or staffing adjustments to ensure appropriations cover costs.
From a legal and labor-management perspective, the order preserves agency discretion and does not create new rights for employees. That limits legal challenges rooted in entitlement theory but places emphasis on agency-level communications and union negotiations where applicable. In collective-bargaining environments, agencies may still consult with employee representatives about scheduling and premium pay practices for required work on those dates.
Comparison & Data
| Date | Presidential Action | Legal References |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 24, 2025 | Federal executive departments and agencies closed; employees excused (subject to exceptions) | EO 11582; 5 U.S.C. 5546, 6103(b) |
| Dec 26, 2025 | Federal executive departments and agencies closed; employees excused (subject to exceptions) | EO 11582; 5 U.S.C. 5546, 6103(b) |
The table summarizes the two dates designated in the order and the primary legal authorities the order invokes. Historically, similar presidential actions have relied on the same statutory and executive-order framework to align pay and leave treatment when holiday-adjacent closures are designated.
Reactions & Quotes
All executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed and their employees excused from duty on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, and Friday, December 26, 2025.
The White House (official presidential action)
The heads of executive departments and agencies may determine that certain offices and installations must remain open and that certain employees must report for duty for reasons of national security, defense, or other public need.
The White House (official presidential action)
Agency human-resources offices and OPM will be watched closely in coming days for implementation guidance clarifying leave coding, pay treatment, and any agency-specific exceptions. Public reaction is expected to range from routine acceptance among most federal employees to questions from labor unions and some agency managers about operational staffing and overtime costs.
Unconfirmed
- Which specific agency offices or units will be kept open has not been publicly listed; agency-level decisions are pending.
- OPM guidance detailing exact pay and leave coding for these days had not been released at the time of the presidential action.
- Any agency-level agreements with unions about scheduling or premium pay for Dec. 24 or Dec. 26 remain unreported and may vary by agency.
Bottom Line
The December 18, 2025 presidential order formally designates Dec. 24 and Dec. 26, 2025, as closure days for executive departments and agencies while preserving exceptions for essential operations. It relies on established executive and statutory authorities to govern pay and leave treatment and assigns OPM responsibility for implementation steps.
For employees, the practical effect will depend on agency decisions about which functions must continue and any OPM guidance that follows. For agencies and budget offices, attention will focus on staffing plans and potential appropriations implications for required staffing or overtime. Readers should watch for OPM guidance and agency announcements for the operational details that will determine who works, who is excused, and how pay and leave are recorded.
Sources
- The White House (official presidential action)
- Executive Order 11582 (codification) (official codification, National Archives)
- 5 U.S.C. § 5546 and 5 U.S.C. § 6103 (statutory text, Legal Information Institute)