Goodbye to remote work for federal employees: The strategy of Donald Trump and Elon Musk to cut spending

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, recently named by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), are already signaling potential policy recommendations ahead of the Trump administration’s January inauguration.

The DOGE leaders have announced plans to require federal employees to return to the office five days a week, significantly restricting the work-from-home policies that became widespread during and after the pandemic. Musk and Ramaswamy argue that in-office work will improve efficiency and economic outcomes. However, critics caution that these changes could negatively impact workforce morale and potentially increase costs to taxpayers.

On X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter and owned by Musk, the DOGE account questioned why U.S. taxpayers should fund government offices that remain largely empty. The post cited a The Washington Times report showing that the Department of Agriculture’s Washington, D.C., headquarters had an occupancy rate of just 6%.

The GOP has been eager for federal workers to return to the office

Though reports from the Office of Personnel Management and the Congressional Budget Office show that federal workers were some of the first to return to the workplace, GOP leaders on Capitol Hill have been railing against telework within the agencies.

Earlier this year, Republicans in the House of Representatives passed a bill requiring federal agencies to maintain at least 60% regular occupancy to retain their office space. Agencies failing to meet this threshold would be forced to sell unused properties. This issue also raises concerns about the future of commercial real estate, as a significant sell-off could destabilize the market, which is already facing increased delinquency.

Rather than addressing these broader challenges, DOGE leaders are focusing on mandating office returns. Some congressional Democrats and agency officials fear this move may push public employees into private-sector jobs, where flexible working arrangements are more prevalent. They argue that remote work options help the government compete for talent.

In October, about one-third of federal workers teleworked most or all of their hours, but only 12.5% worked permanently from home. Though DOGE seems to believe that mandating workers back to the office will be easy, the unions representing these workers have already voiced their opposition. Unions representing these employees assert that flexible arrangements enhance work-life balance, particularly for parents.

Negociations over teleworking policies were already receivign backlash before the November election, when workers were told they would need to work from the office five times per pay period. Reports from government agencies have also demontrated that federal telework levels are comparable to those in the private sector.