Trump's Vision for Job Creation and Business Growth

President-elect Trump's Stance on Federal Work Arrangements

President-elect Trump has made it clear that he plans to push back against President Biden's move to allow federal workers to have a hybrid work arrangement with telework through 2029. At a press conference, he emphasized that this was a friendly transition but pointed out two concerning events. One is the five-year waiver given by the Biden administration, which allows 49,000 people to not come back to the office for five years. Trump considers this a gift to a union and is prepared to take the matter to court.

His comments come after a deal was reached between the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) covering roughly 42,000 Social Security employees. Under the agreement, workers are required to be in the office from two to five days per week. AFGE National President Everett Kelley responded, stating that the union supports telework where it benefits both taxpayers and workers. He also pointed out that only a small percentage of federal employees can actually telework due to the nature of their jobs.

Trump's Initiative with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy

President-elect Trump has tasked Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy with leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This department will focus on finding ways to cut government spending and enhance the efficiency of federal initiatives. Musk and Ramaswamy have expressed their intention to end remote work and view the requirement for federal workers to return to the office as a means to encourage voluntary layoffs.

In an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal, they wrote that requiring federal employees to be in the office five days a week would lead to a wave of voluntary terminations, which they see as a positive outcome. Sen. Joni Ernst, the leader of the Senate's DOGE caucus, has stated that the deal between AFGE and the SSA is unacceptable and she will work with Musk, Ramaswamy, and DOGE to address the issue promptly and get bureaucrats back to work.