Trump Orders Federal Hiring Freeze and Withdraws from TPP

On the first day of his first workweek in office, President Trump ordered a federal hiring freeze at all entities except the military. He also signed an order withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a controversial trade agreement between the U.S. and several Asian nations that both Bernie Sanders and (reluctantly) Hillary Clinton opposed in their presidential campaigns. The hiring freeze comes after reports surfaced last week that the Trump team wants to cut federal government spending by 10 percent and reduce the federal workforce by 20 percent. The plan excludes the “military, public safety, and public health.”