Summary
Donald Trump’s proposed mandate to end federal telework and fire non-compliant employees faces major obstacles, including widespread union contracts protecting remote work.
About 56% of federal workers are covered by collective bargaining agreements, many of which include telework provisions.
Additionally, a record 10% of federal jobs are fully remote, and many agencies lack sufficient office space to accommodate full-time in-office work due to post-pandemic real estate reductions.
Critics argue that enforcing this mandate would be costly, contradicting Trump’s goals to reduce government spending and personnel.
He has surrounded himself with bad faith actors who will happily exploit whatever power vacuum exists within the executive branch.