Lawmakers Press Trump to Exempt Troop Spouses From In-Person Work

Lawmakers from both parties are pressing the Trump administration to exempt US military spouses from new restrictions on telework and remote work for federal employees to blunt a possible crisis in recruitment and retention.

The employment of spouses is a major factor in retaining and recruiting troops and other members of the national security community. Frequent moves and lack of opportunities for families at the various duty stations have been issues Congress has worked on for years to remedy.

A Jan. 27 Trump administration memo spelling out the the requirement for federal employees to return to the office includes an exception that states agencies “should” exclude military spouses working remotely based on the Military Spouse Employment Act, which authorizes military spouses to work remotely.

Even so, advocates and lawmakers are raising alarm that the directive doesn’t explicitly exempt the military spouses from the mandatory return-to-office mandate, outlined in a Jan. 20 executive order. To add to a decision crunch facing affected workers, the Trump administration has asked federal employees to voluntarily take a “deferred resignation” offer. The offer, which initially had a Feb. 6 deadline that has been delayed amid litigation, promises to pay workers who take it through Sept. 30 while stating those who stay risk facing layoffs.

Judge Temporarily Halts Trump, Musk Federal Worker ‘Buyout’ Order

Twelve Democrats are pressing the Office of Personnel Management to explicitly exempt military and national security families from the restrictions.

“Without clear and immediate guidance to the spouses of military, diplomatic, and national security professionals, the federal government risks losing these talented personnel and causing undue financial strain for their families,” the lawmakers, led by Rep. Joaquin Castro (Texas), Chris Van Hollen (Md.) and Cory Booker (N.J.), wrote to the acting director, Charles Ezell, this week.

In the House, Reps. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) and Eugene Vindman (D-Va.) on Wednesday introduced the Support Military Families Act after hearing directly from Virginians affected by the federal return-to-work mandate.

Their legislation would exempt from in-person work requirements military spouses who are federal employees and were eligible for remote work before Jan. 20. The bill would also ask the Government Accountability Office to provide lawmakers with the number of military spouses whose jobs may be at risk as well as the estimated economic impact.