Do federal workers usually get Christmas Eve off?

Christmas Eve is not a national holiday, but past presidents have given federal workers the day off. Newsweek reported this is the first time the Biden administration has taken this action.

President-elect Donald Trump gave federal workers Christmas Eve off during his first presidency in 2018, 2019, and 2020.

“Most employees who are excused from duty on December 24th will receive the basic pay they would have received if no Executive order had been issued. An employee who was previously scheduled to take annual leave on December 24th will not be charged annual leave [or any other form of paid leave, compensatory time off, or credit hours] for his or her scheduled workday,” Robert H. Schriver III, acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, said in a memo.

According to the executive order and the White House website, the departments of State, Treasury, Agriculture, Justice, Commerce, Defense, Labor, Transportation, Energy, Homeland Security, Education, Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, the Interior, and Housing and urban development are all executive departments and agencies that will have paid leave for the holiday.

Christmas Eve

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