(DailyEmailNews.com) – Vowing to dismiss employees who refuse to return to the office, President-elect Donald Trump is set to challenge Joe Biden’s federal work-from-home policies.
This move seeks to reverse what Trump calls a “ridiculous” five-year waiver granted by the Biden administration.
Trump criticized the recent telework agreement between the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) as a “gift to a union” and “very terrible.”
This deal covers around 42,000 employees and allows a hybrid work model requiring office presence two to five days per week until 2029.
Trump’s stance aligns with his commitment to streamline government operations and cut costs.
He has appointed tech mogul Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Musk and Ramaswamy will be tasked with improving federal workforce productivity and reducing wasteful spending.
Both men champion the end of remote work as a means to increase government efficiency and reduce costs.
They argue that requiring federal employees to return to the office full-time would lead to voluntary resignations, effectively trimming the bloated bureaucracy without resorting to forced layoffs.
Musk and Ramaswamy declared:
“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 president-elect’s plan has garnered support from key allies. Senator Joni Ernst has said she intends to work alongside DOGE to reverse the telework agreement.
Even some Democrats back Trump’s plan. Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser supports the return of federal workers to offices, seeing it as crucial for revitalizing the nation’s capital.
Although AFGE President Everett Kelley claims that only 10% of federal workers are fully remote, the Trump team sees the current telework policies as a problem to taxpayer interests.
They argue that American citizens should not foot the bill for what they view as the “COVID-era privilege” of working from home.
The incoming administration’s hardline approach has set the stage for a potential legal battle.
Trump has already signaled his intention to challenge the telework agreement in court as it undermines the principles of efficient governance and responsible use of taxpayer funds.
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