Trump seeks to end telecommuting for federal workers: NPR

President Trump signed an executive action directing federal agencies to direct their employees to return to the office full time.

“The heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive Branch of Government will, as soon as practicable, take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in person at their respective duty stations at full-time, provided that department and agency heads grant such exemptions as they deem necessary,” the executive memo states.

Getting more federal employees to work in the office has long been a Republican priority.

“Delays and delays in services, unanswered phone calls and emails, and missed appointments harm the health, lives, and aspirations of Americans,” wrote Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst in a report released late last year.

In that report, Ernst claimed that only 6% of federal workers worked in-person full-time, while a third worked entirely remotely.

In fact, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the majority of federal employees already work full-time in their offices.

In a report to Congress released last August, OPM noted that as of May 2024, 54% of the 2.3 million civilians employed by the federal government were working entirely in person given the nature of their employment. About 10%, or 228,000 employees, work entirely remotely.

Not counting fully remote workers, federal employees eligible to telework spent just over 60% of their work hours in person, according to OPM, although this varied widely by agency.

In the final days of the Biden administration, former acting OPM Director Rob Shriver defended the federal government’s telework policies, telling reporters on a press call that a one-size-fits-all approach could “have a significant impact on the federal government’s ability to handle the largest number of cases.” significant challenges we face.

Many agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Social Security Administration, have agreed to long-term telework agreements in their collective bargaining agreements.

Many flexible work arrangements predate the pandemic, although the federal government, like many offices, has significantly expanded teleworking during COVID.

Federal employee unions say teleworking has increased productivity and efficiency and also helped the government recruit and retain top talent.

Unions have already threatened to sue the Trump administration over unilateral changes to their union contracts, a process that could last months or even years.

In an opinion article in the Wall Street Journal Last fall, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, whom Trump appointed to head his Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, suggested that requiring federal employees to return to the office five days a week “would lead to a wave of voluntary departures which we welcome”. “

“If federal employees are unwilling to show up, American taxpayers should not pay them for the privilege of staying home in the time of Covid,” they wrote.

Ramaswamy resigned from DOGE on Monday because he intends to run for office soon, according to the White House.

Trump freezes federal hiring

Trump also temporarily froze hiring at most federal agencies. He made some exceptions, including for the military and agencies tasked with key priorities such as immigration control.

He ordered the Office of Management and Budget and DOGE, the new efficiency advisory group led by billionaire Elon Musk, to present a plan within 90 days to reduce the federal workforce “through to efficiency improvements and attrition.”