Musk’s Government Efficiency Board to End Remote Work for 2.3 Million Federal Employees, Sparking a “Tsunami” of Resignations

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to streamline what he considers an inefficient and bloated government. To achieve this, he has appointed two billionaires to lead the Government Efficiency Board (DOGE).

Billionaire Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, the two leaders of DOGE, announced their first target in efforts to overhaul the government: federal employees currently working remotely.

“If employees don’t want to work in-person, U.S. taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay them to maintain the privilege of remote work granted during Covid-19,” the billionaires emphasized in an article published in The Wall Street Journal on November 20.

Ending remote work for federal employees is expected to be one of the first executive actions Trump will implement after taking office on January 20, 2025, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Musk believes requiring federal employees to return to a five-day workweek in the office will create a “tsunami” of voluntary resignations, helping the government reduce its workforce without the need for widespread layoffs.

               Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (left) and billionaire Elon Musk. Photo: AP

Remote work became widespread in the U.S. during the Covid-19 pandemic and continues today. Of the 2.3 million federal employees, about 1.3 million are approved to work remotely, while the remainder, such as food safety inspectors and healthcare workers, must work on-site due to the nature of their jobs, according to a 2024 report from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

Government data indicates that remote federal employees still spend 60% of their time at the office, comparable to workers in the private sector.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal last week, Ramaswamy warned that federal employees should be concerned about their jobs once DOGE begins operations. “We will proceed as reasonably as possible on an individual level. But to streamline the bureaucracy, the plan will inevitably have consequences,” he said.

Ramaswamy estimated on X (formerly Twitter) that approximately 25% of federal employees might resign if DOGE enforces a full-time in-office work policy.

While some companies, such as Amazon and Dell, have recently required employees to return to the office full-time, most U.S. companies remain flexible with remote work, according to Flex Index data tracking over 6,300 companies.

Elon Musk’s business empire is an exception. Post-pandemic, Musk eliminated remote work at Tesla, SpaceX, and X, calling the practice a “moral failing.”

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser supports requiring federal employees to work on-site. She previously urged President Joe Biden to issue clear directives for full-time in-office work. Last week, she expressed her desire to meet President-elect Trump to discuss the matter.

“Ensuring the federal workforce returns to the office is very important,” Bowser said.

However, mandating a five-day in-office workweek could disrupt some federal agencies, observers note. Some remote employees argue that Musk’s proposal would upend their lives and may not yield the cost savings anticipated.

“I can’t quit my job. I’ll have to move back to Washington, D.C., even if it means living apart from my family,” said a Library of Congress employee living in the Midwest.

A federal employee with over 10 years of experience said returning to full-time in-office work would add 2-3 hours of commuting to their daily routine.

“Stress levels will peak. I’ll resign if I have to go back to the office full-time. I’ll take it as a sign to start a new chapter in life,” the employee added.

Randy Erwin, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees, opposes DOGE’s plan, arguing that remote work is a critical component of disaster preparedness. He noted that efforts to expand remote work began after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“All they want to do is cut the federal workforce and see ending remote work as a way to force people to resign voluntarily. They don’t realize how harmful this could be to the country,” Erwin said.

Ending remote work isn’t the only agenda DOGE has. Sources familiar with the matter revealed that the board plans to introduce executive orders to cut government spending further.

Musk claimed during a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden in October that he could help reduce the federal budget by at least $2 trillion.

Sources added that Musk and Ramaswamy are identifying areas for cuts across the federal government, with Ramaswamy also tasked with crafting legal arguments to support the proposals.

DOGE aims to “provide external recommendations and guidance” to streamline government operations, cut regulations, reduce spending, and restructure federal agencies. Trump hopes to achieve these goals by July 4, 2026, coinciding with America’s 250th Independence Day anniversary.

Despite opposition from some federal employees, the establishment of the Government Efficiency Board is seen as a welcome and necessary initiative, according to Joel Thayer, president of the Digital Progress Institute and a Washington-based attorney.

“A more efficient government has long been a bipartisan priority. DOGE is one of the most aggressive plans to accelerate government operations,” Thayer said.