SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - A government hiring freeze announced by President Donald Trump could put more than 300 advertised federal jobs in New Mexico at risk, according to state officials. Many of the jobs are high-paying professional positions.
Trump’s decision could hit New Mexico hard. The state’s unemployment rate is the nation’s second worst, reported The Santa Fe New Mexican (https://bit.ly/2jwJZQG ).
A University of New Mexico economist said the damage to the state’s economy would probably be minimal, but the state’s Democratic U.S. Sen. Tom Udall called the president’s hiring freeze a “reckless, blunt decree.”
“Presidents Reagan and Carter tried hiring freezes and learned that overall they hurt the American people and cost the taxpayers more money,” said Udall in an email. “And it doesn’t seem like President Trump has thought this through anywhere near as far as they did.”
Trump ordered Monday that no vacancies in the executive branch be filled or new positions created, aside from military personnel hiring. The president’s memorandum also said departments can exempt positions that they deem “necessary to meet national security or public safety responsibilities.”
The hiring freeze is effective immediately and is part of a long-term plan to reduce the size of the federal government.
Agency officials and employee unions said it’s not clear how the hiring freeze will impact New Mexico or which jobs may be exempt.
Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce maintained that the hiring freeze will help the Trump administration assess the federal work force’s strengths and weaknesses.
Pearce said he looks forward to working with the administration to “ensure the vital Federal roles in New Mexico stay filled, and new positions are added where needed.”
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Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, https://www.sfnewmexican.com
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