President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he would give government workers Christmas Eve off, allowing them extra time to spend with family and friends in addition to Christmas Day.
The White House released the announcement via an executive order Biden signed, one of the final declarations he will make before he leaves office in January. Most federal employees will have the day off unless they work in national security or defense roles.
“All executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed and their employees excused from duty on Tuesday, December 24, 2024, the day before Christmas Day,” the executive order reads.
“The heads of executive departments and agencies may determine that certain offices and installations of their organizations, or parts thereof, must remain open and that certain employees must report for duty on December 24, 2024, for reasons of national security, defense, or other public need.”
Staff members will still get paid leave, the executive order said. However, according to Newsweek, those employees will be on unpaid furlough if Congress cannot agree to prevent a government shutdown.
Here is everything you need to know about the federal government shutdown on Christmas Eve and whether these closures will affect specific departments.
Do federal workers usually get Christmas Eve off?
Christmas Eve is not a national holiday, but past presidents have given federal workers the day off. Newsweek reported this is the first time the Biden administration has taken this action.
President-elect Donald Trump gave federal workers Christmas Eve off during his first presidency in 2018, 2019, and 2020.
“Most employees who are excused from duty on December 24th will receive the basic pay they would have received if no Executive order had been issued. An employee who was previously scheduled to take annual leave on December 24th will not be charged annual leave [or any other form of paid leave, compensatory time off, or credit hours] for his or her scheduled workday,” Robert H. Schriver III, acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, said in a memo.
According to the executive order and the White House website, the departments of State, Treasury, Agriculture, Justice, Commerce, Defense, Labor, Transportation, Energy, Homeland Security, Education, Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, the Interior, and Housing and urban development are all executive departments and agencies that will have paid leave for the holiday.
What will be open on Christmas Eve?
According to Newsweek, specific government departments and agencies like Homeland Security and Transportation Security Administration workers would have to work that day. However, they will have a “premium holiday day” to compensate for it.
The outlet noted in-person offices, such as the Social Security Administration and the U.S. Postal Service, could also be affected.
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