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By Aila Slisco
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Federal workers who are unwilling to comply with President Donald Trump's order banning remote work will be offered a payout if they resign by February 6, a report says.
Newsweek reached out for comment to the White House via email on Tuesday evening.
Why It Matters
Trump's White House issued a memo on January 20, the president's first day back in office, ordering the heads of government departments and agencies to "take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis."
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A study published last year suggested that a majority of fully remote workers would quit their jobs if forced to return to in-person-only work. Trump's RTO, or "return to office," mandate could be part of a strategy advocated by Elon Musk and others to begin purging federal agencies of employees, both to trim the federal bureaucracy and to install government workers who are loyal to the president.
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What To Know
The White House will be issuing a memo offering to pay off federal workers who do not comply with the RTO order through September 30 if they resign from their jobs by February 6, Axios reported Tuesday.
While the total number of federal workers that the offer might apply to was unclear, political appointees and those who have not completed at least "12 months of continuous service" are excluded.
"The government-wide email being sent today is to make sure that all federal workers are on board with the new administration's plan to have federal employees in office and adhering to higher standards," a senior administration official, who was not identified, told Axios.
"We're five years past COVID and just 6 percent of federal employees work full time in office," the official added. "That is unacceptable."
Approximately 54 percent of 2.3 million federal workers currently work entirely in person, while just 10 percent of federal workers work entirely remotely, according to a recent NPR report, which cites data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
What People Are Saying
Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang said on X (formerly Twitter): "Trump is offering 8 months of pay through September for federal employees who want to leave / not return to office. That is actually a very generous offer relative to private sector standards."
Conservative influencer Nick Sortor said on X: "President Trump is offering all 2 MILLION federal workers the chance to resign in exchange for an 8 month severance package. The White House expects between 5-10% of workers to quit, leading to $100 BILLION in savings. GREAT move by Trump and DOGE!"
Everett Kelley, national president of the country's largest union of federal workers, the American Federation of Government Employees, said in a statement: "President Trump's order is a blatant attempt to corrupt the federal government by eliminating employees' due process rights so they can be fired for political reasons. It will remove hundreds of thousands of federal jobs from the nonpartisan, professional civil service and make them answerable to the will of one man."
What Happens Next
The RTO mandate applies to all civilian federal workers but allows "department and agency heads" to "make exemptions they deem necessary."
While most current remote federal workers will likely have to decide about their employment status soon, some could continue working remotely well into Trump's second term.
Update 1/28/25, 6:57 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with more information and background.
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