Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy float ending remote work for federal employees and ‘large-scale firings’
The idea could affect over 1 million federal workers who are eligible for remote work.
Incoming Trump administration advisers Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy on Wednesday floated ending remote work for federal workers, calling the practice a “privilege” left over from the pandemic.
The two tech industry figures raised the idea in an opinion piece published online in The Wall Street Journal, saying it would be a straightforward means for shrinking the federal workforce.
“Requiring federal employees to come to the office five days a week would result in a wave of voluntary terminations that we welcome: If federal employees don’t want to show up, American taxpayers shouldn’t pay them for the Covid-era privilege of staying home,” the two men wrote.
That could affect more than 1 million federal workers. About 1.1 million federal civilian employees, or 46% of civilian personnel, are eligible for some amount of telework, according to an August report from the Office of Management and Budget. About 228,000 employees, or 10% of personnel, are in remote positions with no expectation that they work in-person on any regular or recurring basis, the report said.
The Biden administration ordered federal agencies in 2023 to “substantially increase meaningful in-person work,” but it also left some flexibility in place, citing operational costs like office space, the need to recruit “top talent” and other factors.