Federal workers bowing to Trump’s order to show up for work

President Trump’s effort to get federal employees back into their offices for work is proving to be stunningly effective, with the number of full-time in-office employees nearly tripling over the past six months.

Data compiled by Gallup show that 46% of feds were working on-site as of the second quarter of this year. That’s up from 17% in late 2024 under President Biden, and more than double the national average for all workers, at 21%.

The big change has been in hybrid workers — those who spend some time in the office and some time at home. They comprised 61% of the federal workforce last year, but are now just 28%. The rest are fully remote.

“In Washington, the hybrid era is over,” Gallup proclaimed.

The change is all the more staggering given how easy it appears to have been achieved.

Mr. Biden spent the last 20 months of his administration trying to cajole and harangue workers to come back after the pandemic. His effort was remarkably unsuccessful, with Gallup’s data showing the ratio hovered between 15% and 20% during that time.

Mr. Trump, meanwhile, issued an Inauguration Day executive order directing all departments and agencies to “take all necessary steps” to end remote work arrangements.

The change has been almost instantaneous.

“The days of Biden’s bureaucrats phoning it in from bubble baths and the beach are over,” said Sen. Joni Ernst, an Iowa Republican who had been leading the return-to-work fight. “My oversight revealed barely one-tenth of telework-eligible federal employees were showing up to work on a full-time basis. Today, nearly half are. President Trump is getting Washington back to work and serving the American people.”

Workers were pushed to stay home during the pandemic, as Uncle Sam sought to set an example for the private sector. Those workers grew accustomed to online meetings and not having to shower, gas up the car and brave commutes.

That led to some notable abuses, such as the Veterans Affairs employee who posted a photo to social media of a bubble bath, bragging that he was about to join a virtual meeting from the suds.

As the pandemic eased, workers fought to keep their new schedules.

Mr. Biden and his management team began haranguing agencies to try to get them back in-person, but Gallup’s data show they were decidedly unsuccessful.

Rep. James Comer, who as chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee led hearings and investigations into the Biden practices, credited Mr. Trump’s success to commitment and competence.

“His administration took swift action to ensure the federal workforce returned to work to serve the American people in person. By contrast, an Oversight Committee investigation last Congress found the Biden administration clung to excessive telework long after the pandemic, with little oversight, evaluation, or evidence of any benefit for taxpayers,” the Kentucky Republican said.

“Billions were wasted on empty office space, while the Biden administration worked hand-in-hand with federal unions to keep unsustainable telework levels. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, most federal workers are now back in the office, proving that where there’s a will, there’s a way,” Mr. Comer said.

The White House Office of Management and Budget did not respond to an inquiry for this story.

Neither did several labor unions that represent federal workers.

In past statements, those unions have argued that federal agencies have to offer better work terms to compete with the private sector. The unions also moved to lock in telework labor agreements with the Biden administration, seeking to protect them against a rollback by the incoming Trump team.

Across the U.S., Gallup said, hybrid working has become the most popular option, with 51% of employees using it as of May. That’s down slightly from a peak of 55% in November.

Just 21% of workers are exclusively in-person, on-site. And 28% are exclusively remote.

In 2019, before the pandemic, 60% were in-person and just 8% were fully remote.