Executive Order 13421: Providing for the Closing of Government Departments and Agencies on Jan 2, 2007
President: George W. Bush
Closed most federal offices for President Ford’s national day of mourning.
Status: Completed/expired. Is Executive Order 13421 still in effect? No. Executive Order 13421 is completed or expired. See Federal Register record.
What does Executive Order 13421 do?
Executive departments and agencies closed on January 2, 2007, with agency heads allowed to keep essential national-security, defense and public-service operations open. OPM’s archived operating status records federal agencies closed for mourning that day and repeats the essential-business exception.
Before and after
Before the order
President Gerald R. Ford had died on December 26, 2006; EO 11582 and title 5 govern federal holiday-related pay and leave treatment.
After the order
Executive departments and agencies closed on January 2, 2007, with agency heads allowed to keep essential national-security, defense and public-service operations open.
OPM’s archived operating status records federal agencies closed for mourning that day and repeats the essential-business exception.
What did the signed order change?
President Gerald R. Ford had died on December 26, 2006; EO 11582 and title 5 govern federal holiday-related pay and leave treatment. Executive departments and agencies closed on January 2, 2007, with agency heads allowed to keep essential national-security, defense and public-service operations open.
What happened later?
OPM — archived January 2, 2007 operating status: OPM’s archived operating status records federal agencies closed for mourning that day and repeats the essential-business exception.
What does that evidence establish?
The order invokes EO 11582 and 5 U.S.C. 5546 and 6103(b) for employee treatment; private employers and state governments were not directed to close. The closure status does not establish that every individual installation closed. Read the signed order for its original terms.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Federal agency heads and OPM | Close offices and administer pay and leave, retaining essential operations | Under the signed order and governing law |
What happened next
EO 13421 signed.
OPM’s archived operating status records federal agencies closed for mourning that day and repeats the essential-business exception.
Signed order and follow-up evidence reviewed.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The order invokes EO 11582 and 5 U.S.C. 5546 and 6103(b) for employee treatment; private employers and state governments were not directed to close.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
- GovInfo — official executive-order record (opens in a new tab) Official record
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 26, 2026. How we research →