A new initiative spearheaded by President-elect Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), to be led by billionaire Elon Musk and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, aims to eliminate remote work across federal agencies.
The plan, which is expected to reduce the federal workforce through attrition, is seen as a supposed step towards increasing government efficiency and reducing costs, CNN reports.
Musk and Ramaswamy, both outspoken critics of remote work, have expressed concerns over the increasing number of government employees working from home.
Sources familiar with early discussions about DOGE’s objectives shared that one of the initiative’s early priorities is to mandate a five-day, in-office workweek for all federal employees.
According to a source, this move is designed to encourage federal workers to leave voluntarily, thus reducing the overall workforce and saving taxpayer money.
Musk and Ramaswamy recently co-authored an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, reaffirming their stance on the issue.
The two argued that requiring federal workers to return to the office would lead to a significant number of voluntary resignations.
“If federal employees don’t want to show up, American taxpayers shouldn’t pay them for the Covid-era privilege of staying home,” they wrote.
Currently, federal employees’ remote work policies vary by agency, with over 1.3 million workers approved for telework, according to the Office of Personnel Management.
Government data reveals that teleworking employees spend about 60% of their time working in person. However, the union representing federal employees, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), disputes the notion that federal workers aren’t working effectively.
“The implication that federal employees writ large are not working in-person is simply not backed up by data and reality,” said AFGE president Everett Kelley.
Though some federal workers have voiced concerns about the proposed changes, many see the initiative as part of a broader effort to streamline government operations.
Some workers, especially those who relocated to work remotely during the pandemic, have expressed fears that the return-to-office mandate would disrupt their personal lives and force them to make difficult decisions.
“I would be forced to move back to Washington, DC, even if it means separating my family,” said one Library of Congress employee.
Meanwhile, other federal employees have warned that the proposed policy could worsen the high turnover rates already affecting many agencies. For some, the long commute required to return to the office would be a deal-breaker, leading them to resign rather than comply.
The future of DOGE remains uncertain, but sources close to the initiative suggest that it will not solely rely on executive orders.
Instead, a longer-term plan for government efficiency is expected to emerge, incorporating recommendations from previous government reports and commissions.
The DOGE team will also look for opportunities for cuts across federal agencies, with Ramaswamy taking the lead on crafting the legal basis for these proposals.
As the Trump administration moves forward with its agenda, the debate over remote work, government efficiency, and fiscal responsibility is expected to continue to shape policy discussions in the coming months.
