Trump and Elon Musk Push to Overhaul Federal Workforce by Mandating In-Person Work and Cutting Costs at Key Government Agencies Across the U.S.

For a long time, the culture of remote work in the U.S. government was allowed to thrive, especially during and after the pandemic.

But under President Biden’s administration, this remote work trend lingered.

In fact, a cafeteria at the Department of the Interior remained closed years after the pandemic was over.

This symbolizes a bigger issue: the lack of urgency in bringing federal employees back to the office, even as the country tried to return to normal.

Trump and Musk’s Push for Change

Donald Trump, along with his ally Elon Musk, have different ideas for how the federal workforce should operate.

Both are working to shrink the size of the government and insist on getting employees back to the office.

Under the Biden administration, the Department of the Interior didn’t require many workers to return to the office, and as a result, it looks like a ghost town.

Fox News Digital even shared a photo taken on a Thursday that shows just how deserted it was.

A source close to the situation said it was absurd that federal workers would protest President Trump’s plan to make the government more efficient—yet still refuse to return to work while collecting paychecks from taxpayers.

Doug Burgum’s Plan to Revitalize the Interior

Doug Burgum, the new Secretary of the Interior under Trump, isn’t waiting around for other reforms to take place.

In a statement, Burgum highlighted how, under the Biden administration, there were so few employees at the Interior office that they even closed the cafeteria.

He added that President Trump’s focus on getting people back to the office would help the U.S. achieve its goal of “Energy Dominance.”

The State of Federal Departments

Critics of the Biden administration point to the state of departments like the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as an example of mismanagement.

Some describe the department as resembling a “taxpayer-funded Spirit Halloween,” with no sign of activity since Biden took office.

The lack of action and reopening of facilities has raised questions about the government’s priorities during the past few years.

Elon Musk’s Vision for Government Efficiency

Elon Musk has made it clear that remote work is no longer acceptable for federal employees in his vision of a more efficient government.

He’s even gone as far as suggesting that if employees don’t want to return to the office, they should leave, stating that taxpayers should not fund the “Covid-era privilege” of working from home.

In a Wall Street Journal essay, Musk proposed that mandatory in-office work could result in voluntary resignations, which he sees as a good thing.

He believes that the federal government should be leaner and more effective, and that employees who are let go would be treated with respect and helped in their transition to the private sector.

Significant Government Cutbacks

The White House has already seen at least 75,000 federal workers accept buyouts, and many more cuts are expected.

Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been central to this push, causing some division in Washington.

While some have criticized the cuts, especially to the Department of Energy, others—particularly MAGA Republicans—believe these efforts were necessary to eliminate wasteful spending.

DOGE recently made headlines by identifying at least $1.9 billion in misplaced funds at HUD, funds that were originally set aside for financial services administration but were no longer needed.

The department also claimed these funds were lost due to a “broken process” and would now be redirected for other use by the Treasury.

Musk’s Proposal to Share Savings with Taxpayers

In a surprising move, Musk floated the idea of sending a $5,000 “DOGE dividend” to every American taxpayer.

This would be part of the $55 billion in savings DOGE claims to have uncovered so far.

These savings came from eliminating fraud, canceling contracts, and selling off government assets.

The bulk of these savings were identified within agencies like USAID, the Department of Education, and the Department of Agriculture.

When investment firm CEO James Fishback suggested that sending cash to taxpayers could showcase the savings, Musk said he would “check with the President” about the idea.

The future of federal government reform is clearly in the works, with major changes on the horizon.

This article was published on TDPel Media. Thanks for reading!

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