Federal Telework Falls Nearly Three-Quarters
Federal employees working remotely dropped sharply in fiscal 2025 after the White House ordered agencies to return workers to the office.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Remote Work
Live Poll
Should the federal government allow more employees to work from home?
The number of federal employees who teleworked fell by nearly three-quarters in fiscal 2025, according to an Office of Personnel Management report sent to Congress on Monday. The decline followed President Donald Trump's directive ending remote work across the government.
Why it matters
The drop reflects a broad federal policy shift from remote arrangements back to in-person work across the national government workforce. Telework is still allowed for continuity of operations, severe weather, emergencies, and reasonable accommodation.
The OPM report counts 273,497 federal employees who teleworked in FY 2025 versus 1,017,230 the prior year, a drop of nearly three-quarters. About 12% of the federal workforce remains out of the office.
The players
Office of Personnel Management
The federal agency that manages the government's civilian workforce and publishes data on federal employment practices, including telework.
Donald Trump
The current President of the United States, who issued the memorandum directing federal agencies to end remote work and return employees to in-person positions.
The details
Trump's 'Return to In-Person Work' memorandum directed agencies to end remote work and have employees return to their desks full time. Telework remains permitted when justified by mission, such as for continuity of operations, severe weather, emergencies, or reasonable accommodation, rather than convenience.
Timeline
Fiscal 2025 was the year the government returned federal workers to the office under Trump's mandate.
The Office of Personnel Management sent its telework report to Congress on Monday in November 2026.
Market Landscape
The federal shift follows Trump's 'Return to In-Person Work' memorandum, which directed agencies to end remote work and return employees to their desks full time. The fiscal 2025 telework decline shows how a single executive directive can reverse remote arrangements across a large workforce.
Federal employees who previously teleworked may face commuting and scheduling changes, since telework is now granted only when a mission justifies it. Workers seeking remote arrangements should check their agency's current telework eligibility rules.
The takeaway
Federal telework has shifted from routine to exception, so workers whose roles depend on remote arrangements should confirm their current eligibility with their agency before making plans.
Further reading
Explore more on remote work trends and how workplace policies are changing across industries.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Daily Signal.
Live Poll
Should the federal government allow more employees to work from home?
