President Donald Trump is following through on his promise to bring teleworking Federal employees back into the office, according to the first official statement issued by his team on Monday, although it remains unclear exactly how many Feds his action might cover.
In a statement posted to the White House website titled “President Trump’s America First Priorities,” the president says this plan is part of his “drain the swap” agenda.
“President Trump is planning for improved accountability of government bureaucrats. The American people deserve the highest-quality service from people who love our country,” the document says.
“The President will also return Federal workers to work, as only 6 percent of employees currently work in person,” it adds.
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, telework served as an important tool for Federal employees to deliver mission-critical services safely.
Over the past few years, the Biden administration has expanded telework options for Federal employees, while encouraging an increase in “meaningful” in-person work.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) removed the COVID-19 governmentwide operating status on May 15, 2023 – meaning the pandemic no longer drives how and where Federal employees work.
Nevertheless, President Trump warned last month that Federal workers who don’t return to in-office work will be fired. The president also said he will challenge a deal reached between the Social Security Administration and its union that would allow employees to continue teleworking into 2029.
Telework has also come under scrutiny by President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) advisory group, which will operate as a non-governmental commission.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, – who heads the newly formed Senate DOGE Caucus – released a report last month focused on reforming government telework policies.
According to the senator’s report, 90 percent of Federal employees telework; up from the pre-COVID number of 3 percent. The report asserts that 6 percent of workers report in person on a full-time basis, while nearly 33 percent of Federal employees are entirely remote.
However, Sen. Ernst’s report and President Trump’s Jan. 20 statement conflict with data from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). OMB issued a report to Congress in April that found “Federal employees returned to in-person work at rates comparable to the private sector by 2022.”
According to OMB, 54 percent of the Federal government’s 2.28 million employees work fully on-site. The remaining 46 percent of the Federal workforce is telework eligible, with only 10 percent of Federal employees – 228,000 – in fully remote positions.
