Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) applauded President Donald Trump‘s executive order seeking to end telework for federal workers, saying, “We are just getting started.”
On Monday, Trump signed his first nine executive orders, memorandums, and letters of his presidency in front of a cheering crowd at the Capital One Arena. One of these was a requirement that all federal workers end telework immediately, which Ernst, the Department of Government Efficiency Caucus founder, had pushed for months.
In a statement to the Washington Examiner, she celebrated the move.
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“For years, I’ve been exposing the broken federal workforce and fighting to make Washington squeal. With President Trump back in the White House, taxpayers everywhere see he is already delivering on his promises to drain the swamp on day one,” she said.
“President Trump and I will happily tell any bureaucrat who does not wish to return to the office, ‘you’re fired.’ Today is a tremendous step in getting Washington back to work and serving the American people, and we are just getting started,” Ernst added.
Trump’s executive order on eliminating telework said it must be enacted as soon as possible.
“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,” the order said.
In a White House statement summarizing the actions of his first day, the move was painted as improving “accountability” for federal workers.
“President Trump is planning for improved accountability of government bureaucrats. The American people deserve the highest-quality service from people who love our country. The President will also return federal workers to work, as only 6% of employees currently work in person,” it said.
Ernst, who has made efforts to cut government waste a cornerstone of her time in the Senate, intensified her efforts following GOP victories in the 2024 elections. Her latest focus has been on cutting telework for federal employees, something for which she has found a partner in the Trump administration.
At the first DOGE caucus meeting last month, Ernst released a detailed report outlining the extent and effects of telework.
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The report outlined the costs associated with federal workers working from home. Three percent of the federal workforce teleworked daily before COVID-19, according to the report. Now, only 6% of workers report in person full time, with a third entirely remote. Ernst’s report warned that telework led to slacking, with workers reportedly caught in leisurely activities while working.
It said $8 billion is spent yearly maintaining and leasing government office buildings and $7.7 billion on the energy to keep them running. The government owns 7,697 vacant buildings and another 2,265 partially empty buildings.
