Trump signs order to make Christmas Eve, Dec. 26 federal holidays
President Donald Trump signed an executive order this week declaring Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas federal holidays. This still isn’t official, however — in order to enact a federal holiday, Congress needs to pass a law and get the president’s signature.
Still, per Trump’s order, “all executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed and their employees excused from duty” on Dec. 24 and Dec. 26. Heads of executive departments or agencies, Trump said, can determine that certain offices must remain open “for reasons of national security, defense, or other public need.”
Official federal holidays
There are currently 12 “federal holidays” currently recognized in the U.S. Congress.gov said that these are often referred to as “national holidays,” though they are only for federal employees.
“Neither Congress nor the President has asserted the authority to declare a ‘national holiday’ that would be binding on the 50 states, as each state individually determines its legal holidays,” the website said.
Current official federal holidays are:
- New Year’s Day
- Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday
- Washington’s Birthday
- Memorial Day
- Juneteenth National Independence Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Columbus Day
- Veterans Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Christmas Day
The most recent of these congressionally-approved holidays is Juneteenth, which marks the day the last enslaved Black people living in Galveston, Texas learned that they were freed.
Trump gave federal workers Dec.24 off during his first term in 2019 and 2020. Former President Barack Obama gave them the day after Christmas off in 2014, though he did not do that for Christmas Eve.
Forbes estimated the cost of each federal holidays is $818 million to taxpayers, excluding the military and Postal Service. The National Taxpayers Union Foundation puts that number at $918 million.
Some federal workers, the National Taxpayers Union Foundation noted, are still required to work during a holiday such as those who work for Transportation Security Administration or the Department of Homeland Security. This would make them eligible for premium pay.
“To an extent, some of these costs can be mitigated because of reduced use of utilities and other operating expenses in federal buildings and facilities, but this amount is difficult to determine,” according to the foundation.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
