WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., along with Congressman Blake Moore, R-Utah, and Congressman Eric Sorensen, D-Ill., led a bipartisan letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth encouraging the Department of Defense (DoD) to exempt all depots, shipyards, arsenals, and maintenance facilities from any department-wide civilian hiring freezes, pauses, restrictions or limitations.

While the DoD has had an exemption in place for these facilities since March 18, 2025, there are still several restrictions that amount to a hiring freeze for critical pieces of the defense industrial base.

“Military depots ensure our servicemembers have access to the weapons systems and platforms they need to keep our nation safe. They are the backbone of our military readiness, and making sure they are properly staffed is critical for our national security,” said Fetterman. “Preventing depots from hiring the staff they need to aid our troops and respond to global threats isn’t efficient. That’s why I’m working with my colleagues to demand Defense Secretary Hegseth and Acting OPM Director Ezell exempt military depots in Pennsylvania and across the nation from ongoing federal hiring freezes.”

There are multiple hiring restrictions in place for depots, arsenals, shipyards, and maintenance facilities that pose serious risks to U.S. military readiness and national security. Currently, software onboarding systems, such as USAStaffing.gov, remain shut down or off-limits to military services and DoD agencies, preventing depots from onboarding new hires. Additionally, military services are not currently allowed to backfill roles vacated by civilians who took the first two Deferred Resignation Programs, leaving many maintenance roles vacant. In addition, new guidance only allows agencies to hire one new employee for every four employees who leave the federal workforce. This poses challenges for facilities like Tobyhanna and Letterkenny Army Depots in Pennsylvania, which are funded based on the billable hours they generate for the Working Capital Fund.