Washington (People's Daily) - The Christmas holidays will come a little early this year for employees of the US government. US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to close the executive departments and agencies of the federal government on December 24, according to the White House website.

(File photo: VCG)

The order follows a tradition of presidents closing agencies on Christmas Eve when it falls on a Monday, federaltimes.com reported.

Trump had earlier said he would shut down the federal government unless he received $5 billion in funding to build a wall along the Mexican border, but appeared Tuesday to be backing off from that threat.