Billionaire entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have made bold promises to Congress, claiming they can reduce “government waste” by $2 trillion through their Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) advisory board. The catch: They aim to do so by eliminating federal employees’ ability to work remotely.
Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican advocate for DOGE, has released a report highlighting the supposed benefits of in-person work. Ernst claims that only 6% of federal workers actually work full-time in-person, and the remaining 94% can be eliminated to reduce waste.
However, experts argue that this approach might not be feasible or effective. “They’re an outside advisory group who are going to generate ideas,” says Douglas Holtz-Eakin, former director of the Congressional Budget Office. “DOGE doesn’t have any power.”
Musk has long expressed his disdain for remote work, arguing that it’s a productivity issue as much as a moral one. But recent data suggests that many federal workers already spend most of their time working in-person, with 60% of work performed at assigned job sites.
Despite the lack of evidence supporting their claims, Musk and Ramaswamy have garnered support from some Republican lawmakers. However, it remains to be seen whether they will actually be able to implement their plans and make significant cuts to government spending.
Source: https://fortune.com/2024/12/06/elon-musk-doge-remote-work-federal-employees