Bad news for federal employees who telework: If you don't go back to the office Trump says you will "be dismissed"
Although an agreement was reached that extends the current work policy for Government employees until 2029, Trump wants to prevent it from being implemented.
Although December began with good news for government employees, the joy may not last long. At the beginning of the month, the Social Security Administration and the American Federation of Government Employees reached a deal extending the current telework policy for employees until 2029.
However, in statements made this Monday from his residence in Mar-a-Lago, President-elect Donald Trump made clear his intention to prevent the agreement from being implemented. Trump wants the tens of thousands of workers affected by this situation to return to the office. “If people don’t come back to work, come back into the office, they’re going to be dismissed,” Trump threatened.
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Can Donald Trump stop the agreement?
The agreement to maintain telework was signed by Martin O’Malley, who was appointed to lead the Social Security Administration by President Joe Biden. In fact, Trump blames the Biden administration for the deal, which he called “terrible” and “ridiculous.”
To stop the agreement, it is likely that Donald Trump and his administration will have to take the matter to court, but Trump has shown willingness to do so. In his remarks, the president-elect said, “It was like a gift to a union, and we’re going to obviously be in court to stop it.”
This is not the first time the incoming Trump administration has spoken on the issue of telework for federal employees. The newly created Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, aims to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget, and jobs are in the crosshairs.
In an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, Musk and Ramaswamy wrote that “Requiring federal employees to come to the office five days a week would result in a wave of voluntary terminations that we welcome,” adding that “If federal employees don’t want to show up, American taxpayers shouldn’t pay them for the Covid-era privilege of staying home.”
Who would be affected by the policy change?
According to a report from the Office of Management and Budget published in May of this year, out of the more than 4 million federal government employees, 54% work completely in-person because their roles are not eligible for telework. Additionally, staff who do telework spend 61% of their work hours in the office.
According to the same report, the federal government employs 2.2 million civilians. Of those, 10% (228,000) were in remote positions where they were not expected to work in-person on a regular basis.
*This article was written in Spanish and translated with the help of AI.
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