Amid a flurry of executive orders yesterday concerning foreign trade, birthright citizenship and DEI programs, President Donald Trump demanded that federal employees fully return to the office.
But did he really?
Trump signed a 65-word executive order that appeared to have a big effect on Maryland — a state that depends on federal jobs like no other.
On first glance, the order seems clear cut. But it includes three big carve-outs that will take time to sort out.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
There was no defined timeline in the order, which said it should be carried out “as soon as practicable.” The order also allows agency heads to “make exemptions” for workers as needed. The order ends by acknowledging that forcing workers back to the office must be “implemented consistent with applicable law.”
Those three phrases could offer wiggle room for some federal workers, such as employees of the Social Security Administration, which is headquartered in Baltimore County.
The publication Government Executive reported last month that the agency cut a deal with union members to extend certain telework policies until 2029.
Those workers are part of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 800,000 federal and D.C. workers. The union has repeatedly pushed back on proposals by Trump and his allies.
“Exaggerating the number of federal employees who telework and portraying those who do as failing to show up for work is a deliberate attempt to demean the federal workforce and justify the wholesale privatization of public-sector jobs,” the union said in a December press release.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Many of those workers live in Maryland. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, many started working from home.
About 10% of the state’s workers, or an estimated 327,000 Marylanders, are directly employed by the federal government, according to the U.S. Census. From 2019 to 2023, the number of all Marylanders working remotely more than tripled, a bigger change than any other state, Census data shows.
In Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, the two jurisdictions closest to D.C., the number of people working from home nearly quadrupled, from about 55,000 to more than 206,000.
Ridership on the MARC — a train line popular with Maryland’s D.C. commuters — once hovered between 700,000 and 800,000 trips each month. That number cratered during the pandemic and has only recovered to half of its pre-pandemic ridership levels, according to state data.
Trump also signed an executive order aiming to curb most new hiring by federal agencies. If successful, that could also have an outsized impact in Maryland, where private sector growth has been relatively weak for years.
The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one.
A report released last year by the Maryland Office of the Comptroller found that the increasing number of federal jobs was a bright spot for the state’s otherwise stagnant economy.
Read Trump’s executive order on returning to the office
Heads of all departments and agencies in the executive branch of Government shall, as soon as practicable, 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, provided that the department and agency heads shall make exemptions they deem necessary.
This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law.
Comments
Welcome to The Banner's subscriber-only commenting community. Please review our community guidelines.