The employees of Treasury’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (TFI) track and disrupt terrorist financing, generate intelligence on our adversaries and illicit actors, implement and enforce a wide range of U.S. sanctions programs, and urge foreign countries to combat financial crimes. Last month, President Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum that instituted an immediate hiring freeze, with exemptions, across the federal civil service. The Senators highlighted that while the mandatory national security exemption included in guidance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) plainly covers TFI positions, it is not clear that Treasury leadership has applied this mandatory exemption or other permitted exemptions that may cover Treasury positions. Failing to apply those exemptions only increases the risk that the hiring freeze will jeopardize TFI’s ability to effectively fulfill its responsibilities.  

“Given the [Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence’s] clear national security mission, we seek to confirm that Treasury has not paused hiring for TFI or rescinded job offers,” wrote the lawmakers. 

The lawmakers continued: “TFI’s workforce is essential to keeping us safe as a country. We are concerned about TFI resources and staffing given the troubling reports that the Administration is sidelining career national security personnel in other parts of the government.” 

The senators are seeking clarification from Secretary Bessent on several key issues, including whether any TFI hiring has been paused, whether any job offers have been rescinded, and what steps have been taken to ensure compliance with national security exemptions related to hiring.  

“Although the Department of Defense has reportedly told all of its employees that they will be exempt from the hiring freeze and that ‘normal hiring actions and onboarding may continue,’ we are not aware of any similar communication from Treasury leadership to clarify which roles and onboarding processes are covered by exemptions,” the lawmakers wrote.  

The senators provided Secretary Bessent with a list of questions and asked for answers by February 20, 2025.

Senator Kim is a member of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP); the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; and the Special Committee on Aging. Before being elected to the U.S. Senate, Kim represented New Jersey’s Third Congressional District in the U.S. House and was a career public servant working in national security and diplomacy at the White House, State Department, and Pentagon. 

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