In a surprise pre-Christmas announcement, former President Donald Trump has signed an executive order granting federal government workers in the United States two additional days off over the festive period in 2025.
Executive Order Details and Operational Exceptions
The order, issued on Thursday, mandates that all executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed on Wednesday, 24 December 2025, and Friday, 26 December 2025. This provides staff with time off on both Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas Day, commonly known as Boxing Day.
The directive explicitly excuses employees from duty on those dates. However, it includes a crucial caveat: certain agencies retain the authority to require staff to work on December 24 and 26 if operational necessities demand it.
Context: A Gesture After the Shutdown and Holiday Criticism
This move arrives in the shadow of a record-breaking 43-day government shutdown earlier this year, during which hundreds of thousands of federal employees were either furloughed or compelled to work without receiving pay until the impasse ended.
The announcement is particularly notable given Trump's recent, very public criticism of the number of non-working holidays in America. Back in June, just before the Juneteenth holiday, he took to his Truth Social platform to complain.
"Too many non-working holidays in America," he wrote. "It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed. The workers don't want it either! Soon we'll end up having a holiday for every once working day of the year. It must change if we are going to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
Shifts in National Park Free Entry Days
Following those comments, the Trump administration adjusted the National Park Service's calendar of free entrance days. Both Juneteenth and Martin Luther King Jr. Day were removed from the list of days when entry fees are waived.
In their place, the service added several other dates for free access:
- Presidents Day
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- The 110th Birthday of the National Park Service
- Constitution Day
- Theodore Roosevelt's birthday
Notably, Flag Day, which falls on Trump's own birthday of 14th July, was also made a free entry day.
The declaration of the two new federal holidays for Christmas 2025 represents a significant, if unexpected, benefit for government workers, contrasting with the president's broader scepticism towards time off. The story is developing.
