White House to Pay Out Federal Workers Not Going Back to Office: Report

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.

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."

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.

A remote worker is pictured during a video conference call in this undated file photo. Jacob Wackerhausen/Getty Images

What To Know

The White House will be issuing a memo on the same day offering to pay 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 had not completed at least "12 months of continuous service" were 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."

This is a developing story and will be updated when more information becomes available.