On hiring freeze: No one has mentioned RIFs, which are not common in the federal government. More likely is attrition. And I think the hiring freeze/attrition strategy would be selective, depending on the agency. Trump said that in his first 100 days he would freeze hiring across govt , exempting the military, public health and safety. But he also wants more spending in some areas. Interesting on the Merit Systems Protection Board, which is sort of the last court of appeal for feds. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), head of the House Oversight Committee, said in an interview last week that Congress may seek to change the MSPB's power. We'll see. Hope to write about this.