State agencies have put a pause on creating new positions until further notice while new hiring protocols are put in place, according to an email sent out by the head of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services this week.
Iowa DHHS Director Kelly Garcia told employees of the state’s largest agency Tuesday that requests for new positions going forward must be submitted to her and the finance department for review and should include a "robust and in-depth justification for consideration.”
The change will affect new positions “regardless of funding source,” as well as discretionary pay, recruitment and retention pay, and special duty pay, but it does not apply to filling already existing positions, Garcia said.
“New protocols have been implemented to better monitor and control the creation of new positions in state government.”Mason Mauro, spokesperson for Gov. Kim Reynolds
Mason Mauro, a spokesperson for Gov. Kim Reynolds, clarified in a statement to IPR that the change would also not apply to new positions that have already been posted, but said Reynolds has not enacted a “hiring freeze” on new state jobs.
“New protocols have been implemented to better monitor and control the creation of new positions in state government,” Mauro said.
Mauro did not respond to additional requests for more details about the changes in protocol for new state jobs.
Iowa HHS spokesperson Alex Murphy reiterated in a statement to IPR that the state does not have a “hiring freeze.”
“Director Garcia has always partnered with agency leadership to ensure that hiring decisions support the current and future needs of Iowa HHS,” he said. “The director will continue to do a thorough review and analysis of all proposals for newly created positions alongside implementing the protocols outlined in her all-staff email.”
Democrats said they’re concerned about what the change could mean for state employees.
House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights said Wednesday that a constituent alerted her to Garcia’s staff email.
“Uncertainty abounds right now in government and people who are doing hard work to provide services to Iowans, especially at DHHS, which is critical service for Iowans,” she said. “They don’t need any more uncertainty.”
The move comes as Reynolds has indicated she is looking to tighten state government spending.
Earlier this month, Reynolds issued an executive order establishing an Iowa DOGE task force to “successfully improve effectiveness and efficiency in state government,” according to a news release.
At Wednesday’s Revenue Estimating Conference, lawmakers said they will need to use some of the state's savings to cover its budget for the next fiscal year.
Iowa’s task force follows President Donald Trump’s creation of the federal Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk, which has abruptly canceled government contracts and implemented mass layoffs at the federal level to curb government spending.
IPR reporter Isabella Luu contributed to this report.
