WASHINGTON—The State Department is rolling out a &#8220;pro-family&#8221; exemption to the federal hiring freeze for the families of diplomats working abroad, according to an internal memo obtained exclusively by The Daily Wire.
The exemption will allow diplomats to staff key embassy posts with eligible family members, known as EFMs. Eligible family members are often the spouse of the State Department employee assigned to the overseas station, and have traditionally been used to temporarily staff certain positions. 
“This is a commonsense, pro-family policy to keep the family members of our diplomats together as they work toward implementing the America First agenda at our overseas posts,” a senior State Department official told The Daily Wire. 
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order mandating a freeze on hiring new federal employees. At the same time, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been overhauling the State Department. As part of this reorganization, the State Department has begun mass layoffs for bureaucratic positions, largely based in Washington, D.C.
The State Department said in the unclassified memo that the exemption would help support families and “support the operational readiness of U.S. Missions&#8221; and that it would be &#8220;a critical step forward in supporting our overseas staffing needs and family member employment opportunities.&#8221;
The memo, which will be sent out later today, authorizes overseas posts to start hiring eligible family members into empty positions that were previously occupied by someone with similar status. The freeze exemption will not allow for new positions to be created and cannot be used to fill vacancies previously filled by non-family member employees. 
“This exemption to the hiring freeze for EFMs makes available a pool of highly qualified candidates who can quickly fill both temporary and long-term positions that support operational readiness,” the memo says. “These will include positions in human resources, finance, security, political/economic, community liaison, medical, and consular services, ensuring that overseas posts function smoothly.”
The memo says that the policy reflects “the Department’s commitment to operational readiness, workforce morale, and the well-being of [Foreign Service] families” and that employees are encouraged to &#8220;prioritize&#8221; the hiring of eligible family members. 
The exemption will also allow eligible family members to join the Foreign Service Family Reserve Corps, meaning that they will have an active security clearance allowing them to fill “domestic and overseas positions quickly when needed.”

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EXCLUSIVE: State Department Rolls Out ‘Pro-Family’ Exemption To Hiring Freeze

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According to a Trump administration official, roughly 20,000 federal workers have accepted the “buyout” offer President Donald Trump offered last week.
On January 28, the U.S. Office of Personal Management sent a “<a href="https://www.opm.gov/fork">Deferred Resignation Email”</a> to federal employees. It noted that President Trump had issued directives requiring employees to return to in-person work and intended to reform the federal hiring process to focus on merit. It offered employees the opportunity to maintain their current compensation and retain all existing benefits (including but not limited to retirement accruals) until their final resignation date.
“We expect more to come. If you see what&#8217;s happening at USAID, it&#8217;s just one piece of the puzzle,” the official told <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/02/04/trump-buyout-federal-workers-20000">Axios</a>.
“Workers who accept the buyout will need to resign by February 6 and would receive severance paid through September 30,” <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/28/politics/federal-worker-buyouts-trump-administration/index.html">CNN</a> noted. “The offer extends to the majority of the 2.3 million federal workforce, with notable exceptions including military personnel, U.S. Postal Service employees and those in immigration enforcement, national security roles or other agency-excluded positions,” Forbes <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2025/02/01/trumps-bold-buyout-plan-to-shrink-the-federal-workforce--heres-everything-you-need-to-know/">explained</a>.
“The federal workforce is expected to undergo significant near-term changes,” OPM <a href="https://www.opm.gov/fork/faq">asserted</a>. “As a result of these changes (or for other reasons), you may wish to depart the federal government on terms that provide you with sufficient time and economic security to plan for your future—and have a nice vacation. &#8230; Any government shutdown could potentially affect an employee’s pay regardless of whether he or she has accepted the deferred resignation offer. Moreover, if you accept the deferred resignation offer, you would still be entitled to backpay under the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019.”
“If your retirement date is between October 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025, you are still eligible for deferred resignation (unless your position is exempted from the deferred resignation program by your agency).  If your retirement date is within this window, your deferred resignation date will be extended to match your retirement date,” OPM stated.

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EXCLUSIVE: State Department Rolls Out ‘Pro-Family’ Exemption To Hiring Freeze

Roughly 20,000 Federal Workers Have Accepted Trump’s Buyout Offer: Report