The Trump administration has effectively ended federal telework, a shift that reverses the trend started during the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent report shows federal telework has dropped to its lowest point since the pandemic, with only 8.9% of workers teleworking “some hours” in April 2025, down from 19.8% in 2024. This shift aligns with Trump’s America First agenda, pushing for greater accountability and efficiency within the government.
President Trump introduced the Laken Riley Act, requiring federal employees to return to the office by February 2025 or face termination. He argued that remote work led to reduced productivity and unfairly benefited employees over those working in other sectors. To enforce this, Trump appointed Elon Musk to head the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a powerful but informal body tasked with implementing policies against telework.
