All New Rules on Hold: 60-Day Review to Check Bureaucratic Sanity
Published Date: 1/28/2025
Presidential Document
Summary
Starting January 20, 2025, all new government rules must get a fresh thumbs-up from new leaders before moving forward. Agencies must also pause or pull back recent rules to double-check if they’re fair and smart, with a 60-day review window to gather feedback. This freeze affects all executive departments and could delay some rules, but it helps make sure new policies are spot-on before they take effect.
Analyzed Economic Effects
6 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 6 mixed.
New Rules Need New-Appointment Signoff
Starting January 20, 2025, executive departments and agencies may not propose or issue any rule until a department or agency head appointed or designated by the President after noon on January 20, 2025, reviews and approves the rule. The head may delegate that review to another person appointed or designated by the President, and the Director of OMB may exempt rules needed for emergencies or rules subject to statutory or judicial deadlines.
Withdraw Pending-but-Unpublished Rules
Agencies must immediately withdraw any rules that have been sent to the Office of the Federal Register but not yet published so they can be reviewed and approved under the new signoff rule described for rules after noon on January 20, 2025.
60-Day Postponement of Recently Issued Rules
Consistent with applicable law, agencies should consider postponing for 60 days from the date of this memorandum (January 20, 2025) the effective date of any rules already published in the Federal Register or issued but not yet in effect, to review questions of fact, law, and policy. During that 60-day period agencies may open a comment period, reevaluate pending petitions, and may further delay rules beyond 60 days if appropriate and lawful.
Freeze Covers Guidance and Notices Too
The memorandum defines 'rule' to include regulatory actions, guidance documents, notices of inquiry, advance notices of proposed rulemaking, notices of proposed rulemaking, and agency statements of general applicability and future effect, so those types of agency actions are also subject to the pause and review requirements.
OMB Can Review Information Collections
The OMB Director is authorized to establish a process to review pending collections of information under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and to take actions the OMB Director deems appropriate based on that review, consistent with applicable law.
Possible Extension to Address Pre- Jan‑20 Actions
The President may modify or extend the memorandum to require department and agency heads to consider taking steps to address actions undertaken before noon on January 20, 2025, if those actions are identified as frustrating the purpose of the memorandum.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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Previous / Next Documents
Previous: 2025-01905, Hiring Freeze
Starting January 20, 2025, the government is hitting pause on hiring new federal civilian workers across most agencies to save money and boost efficiency. Some jobs, like military, national security, and public safety, are still open. A plan to shrink the workforce will come in 90 days, but the IRS hiring freeze sticks around until further notice.
Next: 2025-01907, Return to In-Person Work
Starting soon, all federal government employees must return to working full-time in person at their usual offices. Department leaders can allow exceptions if needed, but remote work is officially ending. This change affects everyone in executive branch agencies and aims to bring back the buzz of office life without delay.