Government operations and workforce

Executive Order 13900: Providing for the Closing of Executive Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government on December 24, 2019

President: Donald J. Trump

EO 13900 closed executive departments and agencies on Tuesday December 24, 2019 and excused covered employees from duty, while permitting agency heads to retain staff needed for national security, defense or other public need.

Status: Completed/expired. Is Executive Order 13900 still in effect? No. Executive Order 13900 is completed or expired. See Federal Register record.

What does Executive Order 13900 do?

OPM’s next-day memorandum explained pay and leave treatment. This was a one-day closure, not a standing addition to the federal holiday calendar.

Later primary evidence reviewed September 24, 2026: OPM issued pay and leave instructions for the December 24 federal closure and its operational exceptions. This documents one-day implementation, not a recurring holiday.

Administration position: The 2019 order applied to its specified date and exceptions. OPM’s implementing guidance distinguishes paid excusal from annual leave for covered employees; it did not create an annual holiday.
SignedDecember 17, 2019
Original directionExcuse covered employees and apply pay-and-leave guidance while maintaining necessary operations
Later evidenceOPM issued implementation guidance on excused absence and pay for December 24, 2019; the order’s date has passed.
Review dateSeptember 26, 2026

Before and after

Before the order

Christmas Day was already a statutory federal holiday; the order addressed the separate preceding Tuesday in 2019.

After the order

OPM issued implementation guidance on excused absence and pay for December 24, 2019; the order’s date has passed.

The 2019 order applied to its specified date and exceptions. OPM’s implementing guidance distinguishes paid excusal from annual leave for covered employees; it did not create an annual holiday.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Agency heads and OPMExcuse covered employees and apply pay-and-leave guidance while maintaining necessary operationsDecember 24, 2019
Later authorityOPM issued implementation guidance on excused absence and pay for December 24, 2019; the order’s date has passed.December 18, 2019

What happened next

EO 13900 signed.

OPM issued implementation guidance on excused absence and pay for December 24, 2019; the order’s date has passed.

Guide checked against signed text and cited later primary evidence.