Federal workers returned to offices on Monday under President Donald Trump’s return-to-office mandate, just as billionaire Elon Musk threatened to place employees on administrative leave if they didn’t comply.
Musk, who is leading Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, warned on his platform X that full-time remote work for federal employees was no longer allowed. However, some agencies are not yet prepared for the switch.
The US Department of Education informed its federal student aid employees by email that regional offices in Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco were not ready to accommodate all remote workers’ return. The agency also noted that employees living more than 50 miles from these cities would be exempt from the mandate.
In contrast, some agencies are taking a phased approach, with U.S. Department of Agriculture employees facing challenges in complying with the back-to-office mandate due to equipment shortages. American Federation of Government Employees Local 4016 president Mike Galletly said his union members had to scramble to find hardware for their offices, which now seat eight people instead of four.
The US Department of Health and Human Services is directing its remote employees to return to offices, even if they were hired into a remote role. Federal workers total over 3 million, accounting for nearly 1.9% of the nation’s civilian workforce.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/trump-musk-doge-return-office-federal-workers-20309562c6a77912462321951277d110