Government operations and workforce

Executive Order 13482: Closing of Executive Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government on Friday, Dec 26, 2008

President: George W. Bush

Excused most executive employees on the Friday after Christmas 2008.

Status: Completed/expired. Is Executive Order 13482 still in effect? No. Executive Order 13482 is completed or expired. See Federal Register record.

What does Executive Order 13482 do?

The order closed executive agencies and excused employees on December 26, allowing essential offices to remain open and applying holiday pay-and-leave treatment. OPM’s December 2008 memorandum instructed agencies on paid excusal and exceptions for the date.

Administration position: Excused most executive employees on the Friday after Christmas 2008.
SignedDecember 12, 2008
Earlier frameworkChristmas Day was a statutory holiday; a separate presidential order addressed the following Friday.
Responsible bodyAgency heads and OPM
Follow-up evidenceDecember 12, 2008: OPM’s December 2008 memorandum instructed agencies on paid excusal and exceptions for the date.

Before and after

Before the order

Christmas Day was a statutory holiday; a separate presidential order addressed the following Friday.

After the order

The order closed executive agencies and excused employees on December 26, allowing essential offices to remain open and applying holiday pay-and-leave treatment.

OPM’s December 2008 memorandum instructed agencies on paid excusal and exceptions for the date.

What did the signed order change?

Christmas Day was a statutory holiday; a separate presidential order addressed the following Friday. The order closed executive agencies and excused employees on December 26, allowing essential offices to remain open and applying holiday pay-and-leave treatment.

What happened later?

OPM — December 26, 2008 pay-and-leave memorandum: OPM’s December 2008 memorandum instructed agencies on paid excusal and exceptions for the date.

What does that evidence establish?

The order did not create an annually recurring holiday or close private workplaces. The OPM memorandum does not identify every essential office kept open. The signed order states the original requirements.

Who had to do what

Source: Signed Federal Register text.
Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Executive branch departments and agenciesClose and excuse employees from duty, except offices and employees required to remain on duty under the order. Apply the specified holiday pay and leave treatment. December 26, 2008.
Heads of executive branch departments and agenciesMay keep offices or installations open and require employees to report for national security, defense or other public needs.December 26, 2008.

What happened next

EO 13482 signed.

OPM’s December 2008 memorandum instructed agencies on paid excusal and exceptions for the date.