Government operations and workforce · Federal workforce and hiring

Executive Order 12839: Reduction of 100,000 Federal Positions

President: Bill Clinton

Directed covered agencies to reduce civilian full-time-equivalent positions by at least four percent over fiscal years 1993–1995, with senior-position targets.

Status: Completed/expired.

Is Executive Order 12839 still in effect? No. Time-limited workforce target completed after fiscal 1995.

What does Executive Order 12839 do?

EO 12839 directed agencies with more than 100 employees to reduce civilian full-time-equivalent positions by at least four percent from the fiscal 1993 baseline by the end of fiscal 1995. It set interim milestones and required at least ten percent of the eliminated positions to come from SES, GS-15 and GS-14 levels or equivalent. OMB could issue instructions and grant exemptions. GAO later reviewed the broader downsizing and buyout experience.

Administration position: The order said the reductions could improve efficiency. The targets were policy choices; GAO later assessed how planning and buyouts affected implementation.
SignedFebruary 10, 1993
Government-wide objectiveAt least 100,000 positions
Agency targetAt least four percent of fiscal 1993 FTE baseline

Before and after

Before the order

Workforce levels were managed through appropriations, personnel law and agency plans without these milestones.

After the order

Covered agencies worked toward staged FTE and senior-position reductions through fiscal 1995.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Covered agenciesReduce FTE positions by at least four percent25% in FY1993; 62.5% by FY1994; 100% by FY1995
Agency headsEnsure at least ten percent of eliminated positions come from SES, GS-15 and GS-14 levels or equivalentBy end of fiscal 1995
OMB DirectorIssue instructions and consider exemptionsDuring implementation

What happened next

EO 12839 signed.

GAO published its review of federal downsizing and employee buyouts.