The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has given at least two dozen remote employees just nine days to decide whether to relocate to Washington, D.C., or face potential job loss.
In an email sent Wednesday, OPM told workers — some living thousands of miles away — they have until March 7 to accept the move. Those who refuse may face “adverse action,” though severance pay could be an option.
This marks a shift from President Donald Trump’s usual push to move federal jobs out of D.C. into lower-cost regions. His cost-cutting partner, Elon Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has championed the relocation of federal offices — but this is the first instance of forcing remote workers back to the capital.
At least 200 employees reportedly received the memo, and some were already considering leaving OPM.
Nick Bednar, a governance expert at the University of Minnesota Law School, called the short notice “abnormal,” saying it’s a clear tactic to push workers to quit. Steve Lenkart, of the National Federation of Federal Employees, echoed this, calling it “another attack on the civil service.”
On the same day, Trump ordered agencies to submit plans by April 14 to move more offices out of D.C. New FBI Director Kash Patel has already shifted 1,500 employees to field offices, including 500 to Alabama.
The Trump-Musk team has cut about 100,000 federal jobs, and new plans for “significant reductions” are due by March 13 — part of their broader effort to shrink what they see as a bloated government.
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