Implementing the President's "Department of Government Efficiency" Workforce Optimization Initiative

Executive Order 14210 of February 11, 2025

Implementing the President's “Department of
Government Efficiency” Workforce Optimization
Initiative

By the authority vested in me as President by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of
America, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1. Purpose. To restore accountability to the
American public, this order commences a critical
transformation of the Federal bureaucracy. By
eliminating waste, bloat, and insularity, my
Administration will empower American families, workers,
taxpayers, and our system of Government itself.

Sec. 2. Definitions. (a) “Agency” has the meaning
given to it in section 3502 of title 44, United States
Code, except that such term does not include the
Executive Office of the President or any components
thereof.

    (b) “Agency Head” means the highest-ranking
official of an agency, such as the Secretary,
Administrator, Chairman, or Director, unless otherwise
specified in this order.
    (c) “DOGE Team Lead” means the leader of the
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Team at each
agency, as defined in Executive Order 14158 of January
20, 2025 (Establishing and Implementing the President's
“Department of Government Efficiency”).
    (d) “Employee” has the meaning given to it by
section 2105 of title 5, United States Code, and
includes individuals who serve in the executive branch
and who qualify as employees under that section for any
purpose.
    (e) “Immigration enforcement” means the
investigation, enforcement, or assisting in the
investigation or enforcement of Federal immigration
law, including with respect to Federal immigration law
that penalizes a person's presence in, entry, or
reentry to, or employment in, the United States, but
does not include assisting individuals in applying for
immigration benefits or efforts to prevent enforcement
of immigration law or to prevent deportation or removal
from the United States.
    (f) “Law enforcement” means:

(i) engagement in or supervision of the prevention, detection,
investigation, or prosecution of, or the incarceration of any person for,
any violation of law; or

(ii) the protection of Federal, State, local, or foreign government
officials against threats to personal safety.

    (g) “Temporary employee” has the meaning given to
it in 5 C.F.R. part 316.
    (h) “Reemployed annuitant” has the meaning given
to it in 5 C.F.R. part 837.

Sec. 3. Reforming the Federal Workforce to Maximize
Efficiency and Productivity. (a) Hiring Ratio. Pursuant
to the Presidential Memorandum of January 20, 2025
(Hiring Freeze), the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget shall submit a plan to reduce the
size of the Federal Government's workforce through
efficiency improvements and attrition (Plan). The Plan
shall require that each agency hire no more than one
employee for every four employees that depart,
consistent with the plan and any applicable exemptions
and details provided for in the Plan. This order does
not affect the standing freeze on hiring as applied to
the Internal Revenue Service. This ratio shall not
apply to functions related to public safety,
immigration

enforcement, or law enforcement. Agency Heads shall
also adhere to the Federal Hiring Plan that will be
promulgated pursuant to Executive Order 14170 of
January 20, 2025 (Reforming the Federal Hiring Process
and Restoring Merit to Government Service).

    (b) Hiring Approval. Each Agency Head shall develop
a data-driven plan, in consultation with its DOGE Team
Lead, to ensure new career appointment hires are in
highest-need areas.

(i) This hiring plan shall include that new career appointment hiring
decisions shall be made in consultation with the agency's DOGE Team Lead,
consistent with applicable law.

(ii) The agency shall not fill any vacancies for career appointments that
the DOGE Team Lead assesses should not be filled, unless the Agency Head
determines the positions should be filled.

(iii) Each DOGE Team Lead shall provide the United States DOGE Service
(USDS) Administrator with a monthly hiring report for the agency.

    (c) Reductions in Force. Agency Heads shall
promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale
reductions in force (RIFs), consistent with applicable
law, and to separate from Federal service temporary
employees and reemployed annuitants working in areas
that will likely be subject to the RIFs. All offices
that perform functions not mandated by statute or other
law shall be prioritized in the RIFs, including all
agency diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives;
all agency initiatives, components, or operations that
my Administration suspends or closes; and all
components and employees performing functions not
mandated by statute or other law who are not typically
designated as essential during a lapse in
appropriations as provided in the Agency Contingency
Plans on the Office of Management and Budget website.
This subsection shall not apply to functions related to
public safety, immigration enforcement, or law
enforcement.
    (d) Rulemaking. Within 30 days of the date of this
order, the Director of the Office of Personnel
Management (OPM) shall initiate a rulemaking that
proposes to revise 5 C.F.R. 731.202(b) to include
additional suitability criteria, including:

(i) failure to comply with generally applicable legal obligations,
including timely filing of tax returns;

(ii) failure to comply with any provision that would preclude regular
Federal service, including citizenship requirements;

(iii) refusal to certify compliance with any applicable nondisclosure
obligations, consistent with 5 U.S.C. 2302(b)(13), and failure to adhere to
those compliance obligations in the course of Federal employment; and

(iv) theft or misuse of Government resources and equipment, or negligent
loss of material Government resources and equipment.

    (e) Developing Agency Reorganization Plans. Within
30 days of the date of this order, Agency Heads shall
submit to the Director of the Office of Management and
Budget a report that identifies any statutes that
establish the agency, or subcomponents of the agency,
as statutorily required entities. The report shall
discuss whether the agency or any of its subcomponents
should be eliminated or consolidated.
    (f) Within 240 days of the date of this order, the
USDS Administrator shall submit a report to the
President regarding implementation of this order,
including a recommendation as to whether any of its
provisions should be extended, modified, or terminated.

Sec. 4. Exclusions. (a) This order does not apply to
military personnel.

    (b) Agency Heads may exempt from this order any
position they deem necessary to meet national security,
homeland security, or public safety responsibilities.
    (c) The Director of OPM may grant exemptions from
this order where those exemptions are otherwise
necessary and shall assist in promoting workforce
reduction.

Sec. 5. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order
shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or the
head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

    (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with
applicable law and subject to the availability of
appropriations.
    (c) This order is not intended to, and does not,
create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural,
enforceable at law or in equity by any party against
the United States, its departments, agencies, or
entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any
other person.

    (Presidential Sig.)

THE WHITE HOUSE,

    February 11, 2025.