The United States Office of Personnel Management has directed at least two dozen remote employees to relocate to Washington, D.C., providing them with a nine-day window, until March 7, to make their decision.
The OPM emailed remote employees on Wednesday, informing them they must relocate to Washington, D.C., according to sources and emails reviewed by Reuters.
Some affected employees live thousands of miles away.
The memo warns that declining the move could limit their employment options with the agency and lead to “adverse action.”
Meanwhile, it notes that they may be eligible for severance pay.
President Donald Trump and his cost-cutting czar, Elon Musk, who leads the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, have pushed to relocate Washington-based federal workers to other parts of the country.
However, this appears to be the first instance where remote employees are being ordered to move to the capital.
At least two employees who received the email told Reuters they were already considering leaving OPM.
A third source estimated that at least 200 people had received the memo.
OPM, DOGE, and the White House have not yet responded to requests for comment.
Nick Bednar, a governance expert at the University of Minnesota Law School, stated that while government agencies have the authority to relocate employees and terminate those who refuse to move, the short notice given to OPM employees is “abnormal.”
“Giving them this short relocation notice is clearly an effort to get them to quit, to force them from their position. It’s another way to cut the size of government,” he said.
