The presidential memorandum declares that the hiring freeze expires, for all agencies besides the Internal Revenue Service, within 90 days, after the required publication of a plan for an overall federal workforce reduction to be issued by director of the OMB.

[9] The hiring freeze was issued as part of Donald Trump's "Day One" executive orders and presidential actions, many of which targeted federal employees.

[11] Administration officials stated that the goal of these policies, especially the return-to-office mandate and buyout offers, is to encourage large amounts of federal employees to leave their positions, and to reduce the overall workforce through "attrition," since the hiring freeze would prevent filling new vacancies.

[16] While the presidential memorandum's original phrasing required implementation to have no adverse effect on veterans' benefits, it was applied to medical staff before being exempted.

Democrats on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure condemned the hiring freeze, and also argued it violated the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024.

[18] It was reported that thousands of law students and graduates had had federal job offers and internship placements rescinded at the Department of Justice and other agencies.