Workers Dismayed by President Trump’s Federal Hiring Freeze

McLEAN, Va. (AP) — President Donald Trump's office says an executive order imposing a federal hiring freeze will slow the dramatic expansion of the government workforce.

But statistics show the size of the federal workforce is as low as it's been since 1965, and that the number of employees has remained more or less steady in the last 15 years.

Unions representing federal workers on Monday decried Trump's action, which implements a hiring freeze across the federal government, with exceptions only for military, national security or public safety personnel.

Randy Erwin, president of the National Federation of federal Employees, says the freeze will lead to the government relying on contractors who end up costing even more.