{"id":32415,"date":"2025-03-18T18:50:04","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T18:50:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2025\/03\/18\/shipyards-military-clinics-exempted-from-pentagon-hiring-freeze\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:09:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:09:27","slug":"shipyards-military-clinics-exempted-from-pentagon-hiring-freeze","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/federal-oversight\/2025\/03\/18\/shipyards-military-clinics-exempted-from-pentagon-hiring-freeze\/","title":{"rendered":"Shipyards, military clinics exempted from Pentagon hiring freeze"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Defense Department leaders announced shipyards<\/a>, depots and medical treatment facilities will be exempted from a department-wide hiring freeze because of their critical role in military readiness, in response to a growing outcry over the planned workforce reforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The issue of shipyard workers has become a rallying point for numerous advocates and lawmakers in recent days, especially after President Donald Trump<\/a> vowed in his address to Congress earlier this month to establish a new office of shipbuilding <\/a>within the White House in order to protect the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week, sixteen Democratic lawmakers from districts with links to shipbuilding firms sent a note to the White House and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asserting the civilian defense employee hiring freeze had caused \u201cchaos and uncertainty,\u201d which in turn has hurt \u201cthe important growth that is needed at our shipyards.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pentagon leaders agreed. In a memo over the weeken<\/a>d, Hegseth clarified shipyard workers should be exempted from the hiring freeze, even as other areas see potential job cuts designed to \u201coptimize our federal workforce, reduce inefficiencies, and align our resources with the president\u2019s top national security priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t