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President Obama issued an executive order Friday formally granting federal employees an extra holiday day off on Dec. 26.
“All executive branch departments and agencies of the federal government shall be closed and their employees excused from duty on Friday, Dec. 26, 2014, the day after Christmas Day,” the order states.
Under Obama’s order, agency heads can determine that certain offices and installations must remain open and their employees must report for duty “for reasons of national security, defense or other public need.”
President Obama did not offer feds any extra time off around the holidays last year, when Christmas fell on a Wednesday. But he did give them Christmas Eve off to create a four-day weekend in 2012, when Christmas was on a Tuesday.
In addition to 2012, Obama gave federal employees a half day off on Christmas Eve in 2009, when Christmas fell on a Friday, but did not give any time off in 2010 or 2011.
The full text of Obama’s order is below:
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release December 5, 2014
EXECUTIVE ORDER
- - - - - - -
CLOSING OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES OF THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2014
By the authority vested in me as President of the
United States of America, by the Constitution and the laws of
the United States, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. All executive branch departments and agencies
of the Federal Government shall be closed and their employees
excused from duty on Friday, December 26, 2014, the day after
Christmas Day, except as provided in section 2 of this order.
Sec. 2. The heads of executive branch departments and
agencies may determine that certain offices and installations of
their organizations, or parts thereof, must remain open and that
certain employees must report for duty on December 26, 2014, for
reasons of national security, defense, or other public need.
Sec. 3. Friday, December 26, 2014, shall be considered
as falling within the scope of Executive Order 11582 of
February 11, 1971, and of 5 U.S.C. 5546 and 6103(b) and other
similar statutes insofar as they relate to the pay and leave of
employees of the United States.
Sec. 4. The Director of the Office of Personnel Management
shall take such actions as may be necessary to implement this
order.
Sec. 5. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order
shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive
department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget relating to budgetary,
administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with
applicable law and subject to the availability of
appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create
any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at
law or in equity by any party against the United States, its
departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or
agents, or any other person.
BARACK OBAMA
THE WHITE HOUSE,
December 5, 2014.
(Image via JaroPienza / Shutterstock.com)