Scoop: Trump hiring freeze hit anti-terrorism jobs
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Recruitment for anti-terrorism posts at the Treasury Department was halted last month, despite a carveout in President Trump's hiring freeze for national security jobs.
Why it matters: Treasury's Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (TFI) office tracks terrorist and criminal financing and is responsible for enforcing a wide range of government sanctions.
- Democrats pushed Treasury last month to detail the extent of the freeze, as Axios scooped.
- Treasury rescinded all job offers at the TFI office for people who were scheduled to start after Feb. 8, according to a letter sent from the department to Senate Democrats late last week.
- Treasury has begun to reassess the interest of candidates for jobs that fall within the national security exemption for the hiring freeze.
The big picture: Democrats have hammered Trump and Elon Musk for their approach to slicing federal agencies, arguing the administration has cut positions and programs without a clear understanding of the consequences.
- "Instead of hiring key national security personnel, Treasury appears to be following directives from Elon Musk's DOGE to leave key positions unfilled, threatening the Department's mission to keep the American people safe," Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told Axi in a statement.
- Warren joined Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Andy Kim (D-N.J.) last month in asking Treasury whether the hiring freeze was affecting its national security posts.
- In the department's response to the lawmakers, obtained by Axios, Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs Jonathan Blum said Treasury "instituted a hiring freeze across the Department, to include TFI."
Between the lines: Treasury's TFI office has over 1,000 employees and oversees an array of national security operations.
- That includes enforcement of anti-money laundering and terrorist financing obligations on financial institutions and administers financial sanctions.
