(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump hit the government with a federal hiring freeze on his first day in office, but it won’t stop hiring at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
After implementation of Trump’s hiring freeze, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced several exemptions to the policy. The department said the exemptions “clarify the department’s ability to continue filling essential positions that provide health care and other vital services to Veterans and VA beneficiaries.”
Trump announced the hiring freeze Monday.
“As part of this freeze, no Federal civilian position that is vacant at noon on January 20, 2025, may be filled, and no new position may be created except as otherwise provided for in this memorandum or other applicable law,” Trump’s executive order said. “Except as provided below, this freeze applies to all executive departments and agencies regardless of their sources of operational and programmatic funding.”
Trump’s freeze does not apply to military personnel or to positions related to immigration enforcement, national security or public safety.
The Department of Veterans Affairs worked with the White House and Office of Personnel Management to develop updated hiring guidance.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, VA will always do what is necessary to provide America’s Veterans with the benefits and services they have earned,” VA Director of Media Affairs Morgan Ackley said in a statement. “The targeted hiring-freeze exemptions announced today underscore that fact.”
In a memo, the department noted “positions critical to delivering care to Veterans in the Veteran Health Administration … are exempted under the category of public safety.”
The Veterans Health Administration is the largest integrated health care system in the U.S., providing care at 1,380 health care facilities, including 170 VA Medical Centers and 1,193 outpatient sites to more than 9.1 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program.