New Delhi, Dec. 19 -- President Donald Trump has signed an executive order granting US federal employees two additional days off around Christmas, extending the holiday break to include 24 December and 26 December, a move that goes beyond recent presidential precedent and injects fresh debate into the politics of public holidays.

Federal employees already receive 25 December as a standard federal holiday. The new order, signed on Thursday afternoon, effectively creates a four-day Christmas period for most government workers, although key exceptions remain.

Under the order, most federal employees will be excused from duty on Christmas Eve (24 December) and the day after Christmas (26 December). However, the White House made clear that no...