The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has uncovered that numerous federal employees in the Washington, D.C., area are frequenting public golf courses on Friday afternoons during work hours, according to a report by The American Tribune. This discovery has intensified the ongoing debate over remote work policies within the federal government.
Conservative commentator Amuse highlighted the issue on social media platform X, stating, “DOGE: There are 40 public golf courses in the Washington DC area. On Fridays the tee sheets are filled with the names of career civil service workers. Does your boss let you ‘work’ from the golf course?”
President Donald Trump has been a vocal critic of remote work arrangements for federal employees. In a recent statement, he emphasized the necessity for in-person attendance, asserting that remote work has led to abuses such as employees engaging in leisure activities during work hours. “All federal employees must once again show up to work… It doesn’t work when you don’t show up,” Trump remarked. He further commented, “They’re playing tennis, they’re playing golf, or they have other jobs, but they’re not working, or they’re certainly not working hard.”
In alignment with this stance, the White House issued a memorandum on January 20 titled “Return to In-Person Work.” The directive instructs all executive branch departments and agencies to “terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis,” allowing for exemptions deemed necessary by department and agency heads.
However, not all agree with this directive. Everett Kelley, National President of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), defended the existing hybrid work model, stating that telework and remote work have enhanced federal productivity and efficiency. Kelley emphasized that these arrangements have been instrumental in maintaining continuity of operations and increasing disaster preparedness.
The debate over remote work and its potential for misuse continues as the administration seeks to enforce stricter in-person attendance policies.
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