Providing for the Closing of Executive Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government on December 24, 2024
This executive order directs all executive departments and agencies of the federal government to close and have employees excused from duty on Tuesday, December 24, 2024 (the day before Christmas Day). Agency heads may keep certain offices or installations open and require some employees to report for work if necessary for national security, defense, or other public needs. The order clarifies that pay and leave for this day should be handled under existing laws and regulations (including EO 11582 and 5 U.S.C. 5546 and 6103(b)), and tasks the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) with implementing the order. It also states that the order does not create new rights or benefits and is to be implemented consistent with law and appropriations. In short, the federal government will largely shut down on December 24, 2024, with limited exceptions for essential operations, and standard pay/leave rules apply. The OPM will operationalize the closure, and the order preserves existing authorities and does not expand rights beyond current law.
Key Points
- 1All executive departments and agencies must close and employees are excused on December 24, 2024 (the day before Christmas Day).
- 2Agency heads may determine that certain offices/parts must stay open or that some employees must report for duty on December 24 for national security, defense, or other public need.
- 3The day is treated within the pay/leave framework established by EO 11582 and by 5 U.S.C. 5546 and 6103(b); pay and leave consequences will follow existing rules.
- 4The Director of the Office of Personnel Management is authorized to implement the necessary actions to carry out the order.
- 5The order does not create new rights or benefits enforceable in court and is subject to applicable law and appropriations; it preserves existing agency and OMB authorities and does not alter them beyond the closure.