Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Trump signs executive order giving federal employees time off on Christmas Eve amid concern over government shutdown

The order comes three days before a deadline to pass a bill funding the government and avoid a partial shutdown

Sarah Harvard
New York
Wednesday 19 December 2018 11:10 EST
Comments
Donald Trump says it is 'too early to say' for whether US government will go into shutdown

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order granting federal employees time off on Christmas Eve.

Following a tradition practised by former presidents, Mr Trump’s order decrees that “all executive departments and agencies of the federal government shall be closed” on 24 December.

The order was signed amid concerns about a looming partial government shutdown Mr Trump threatened to push through over a funding battle for his proposed border wall with Mexico. The White House and Congress are quarreling over a government funding bill that must be approved by Friday to avoid a shutdown.

On Tuesday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the president has backed off his initial demand to lawmakers for $5 billion to build the wall.

The administration hinted that $1.6 billion—a figure Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell proposed along with a $1 billion “slush fund,” and one that top Democrats reject—would be sufficient enough to build the wall.

To receive additional funding to meet the $5 billion figure, Ms Sanders said the White House is looking into other federal agencies to cough up the money.

“At the end of the day, we don’t want to shut down the government, we want to shut down the border," Ms Sanders said.

Although Christmas is a federal holiday, presidents in the past have been inconsistent when gifting Christmas Eve off when it occurs in the middle of the week.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

In 2015, former President Barack Obama let federal employees go home early for Christmas Eve, and in 2014, he gave them a day off on 26 December since it fell on a Friday. Former president George W. Bush regularly granted time off for Christmas Eve.

Last year, Mr Trump did not grant Christmas Eve off since it fell on a Sunday.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in