President Trump on Dec. 11 signed an executive order (EO) giving Federal employees the full day off on Christmas Eve.
While Christmas Eve is not officially a Federal holiday, President Trump gave Federal employees Dec. 24 off in 2019 and 2018, as well. Department heads will still ultimately have the last call as the EO leaves space for them to determine which offices must stay open and which employees must report.
“The heads of executive departments and agencies may determine that certain offices and installations of their organizations, or parts thereof, must remain open and that certain employees must report for duty on December 24, 2020, for reasons of national security, defense, or other public need,” the EO states.
Whether employees will be enjoying a paid day off depends largely on if the Federal government even remains open during that time. Last Friday, Trump also signed a weeklong continuing budget resolution – approved by the House and Senate earlier in the week – avoiding a government shutdown at midnight. This short-team action on the budget buys another week for Congress to reach a funding agreement for Fiscal Year 2021.
