**Musk and Ramaswamy Propose Ending Remote Work for Federal Employees**

Incoming advisers to the Trump administration, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, have suggested terminating remote work for federal employees, labeling it a "privilege" that persists from the pandemic era. The two prominent tech industry leaders presented their views in an opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal, advocating the policy as a straightforward method to decrease the federal workforce.

Musk and Ramaswamy argued that requiring federal employees to return to the office five days a week would lead to numerous voluntary resignations, which they deem beneficial. "If federal employees don't want to show up, American taxpayers shouldn't pay them for the Covid-era privilege of staying home," they wrote.

This proposed policy shift could impact over 1 million federal workers. According to an August report from the Office of Management and Budget, about 46% of civilian personnel, equating to roughly 1.1 million employees, are eligible for some amount of telework. Additionally, around 228,000 employees hold remote positions with no routine in-person work requirements.

The Biden administration had previously directed federal agencies in 2023 to "substantially increase meaningful in-person work," albeit with some flexibility for operational costs and recruitment needs. In contrast, Musk and Ramaswamy, who are co-leading a proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), suggest stricter measures.

DOGE, not yet an official department and requiring congressional approval, uses an acronym referring to an internet meme and cryptocurrency Musk has long promoted. The opinion piece marks some of the first concrete policy propositions from Musk and Ramaswamy in their advisory roles.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has maintained a rigid stance on remote work at his companies since the wind-down of the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2022, he mandated a return-to-office policy requiring a minimum of 40 hours per week on-site, though initial implementation faced challenges due to space and resource limitations.

The future of remote work remains a contentious issue. Companies like Amazon have followed Tesla and SpaceX's lead in recalling employees to the office. Conversely, some organizations use remote work as a strategy for recruitment and retention, indicating its potential longevity.

Unionized federal workers have responded critically to Musk and Ramaswamy's suggestions. Randy Erwin, national president of the National Federation of Federal Employees, claimed they lack understanding of federal workforce operations. The union, representing 110,000 federal employees, accused the duo of making baseless claims about government inefficiency and disparaging dedicated federal workers.

In addition to ending remote work, Musk and Ramaswamy proposed other workforce reduction strategies, including "large-scale firings" and relocating federal agencies outside the Washington area. They also mentioned several ideas for reducing federal spending and repealing regulations, citing recent Supreme Court rulings to justify their proposals.