Trump order ending remote work affects thousands of Texas federal employees
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Among the flurry of executive orders President Trump signed this week is one ending remote work for all government employees, including thousands in Texas.
Why it matters: The orders aim to shrink the federal workforce — which employs tens of thousands of Texans — and target what the administration calls "rogue bureaucrats and career politicians."
By the numbers: Of Texas' roughly 479,000 federal workers, nearly 56,000 — about 11.6% — worked from home, per the latest American Community Survey data from 2023.
- That puts us below the national average of 12.7%, and right in the middle compared to other states and the District of Columbia.
The big picture: The federal government will have a tougher time attracting and retaining talented employees now that Trump ordered workers back to the office full time, experts tell Axios.
- That's likely the point. Trump's return-to-office mandate is part of a broader effort by the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut the size of bureaucracy.
Zoom in: While Houston falls just below the national average for remote work, other Texas metros surpass it with a larger share of workers staying home.
- Mayor John Whitmire is requiring most city of Houston employees to return to full-time office work next month after years of hybrid work.
Flashback: "Requiring federal employees to come to the office five days a week would result in a wave of voluntary terminations that we welcome," DOGE head Elon Musk co-wrote in a November op-ed for the Wall Street Journal.