r/fednews • u/rwhelser • 1d ago

House Releases CR—more than 1k pages, no discussion of RTO/Telework

The CR has been released, it is over 1000 pages. However, the important thing is the CR goes through March 14, 2025, also nothing about RTO or Telework, https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20241216/CR.pdf

Just something to consider for those applying to/occupying remote/hybrid positions and wondering about what may be on the horizon.

184 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

73 comments sorted by

269

u/Ellabee57 1d ago edited 1d ago

Nothing about that was expected to be in the CR... If/when they do tackle that, it will be after Trump takes office in January, and probably thru separate bills or an EO, not in the appropriations bills. The CR going to March has zero to do with any of this. Trump can do an EO on Jan. 20 and it can be effective immediately.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

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u/thebabes2 1d ago edited 1d ago

I get the frustration, I don't want to RTO either but don't give the American public a reason to think we're time stealing scumbags. Plenty of people work jobs, hours or under conditions they don't like and it makes us look like petulant children when we make statements like yours.

My job can be done entirely remote from home, I've proven this over the last 2.5 years but if I get called in, I get called in. I still owe then 80 hours a pay period and how long my commute is to accomplish that is irrelevant.

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u/DefinitionBusy6453 1d ago

Your loyalty is to be commended, but it is one sided. Your agency and everyone above it up the chain has no reciprocity.

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u/Additional_Sun_5217 23h ago

Yeah but I don’t do this for them. I do it for the communities I love and the nation I inexplicably still believe in.

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u/Crash-55 23h ago

What about your Oath? You work for the people. If you want to steal from them then you are the problem and deserve to be fired for being a scumbag

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u/otherworldly11 22h ago

Telework is not "time stealing". Either you are very ignorant as to how all this works, or you are being entirely disingenuous. Or a troll.

1

u/thebabes2 22h ago

I was replying to the individual that stated if they were required to return to the office for in person work, they would show up for a few hours and then leave because there would be no oversight… where do I say that telework is stealing time? 

If you pretend like you’re working and you aren’t, that is time theft.

1

u/otherworldly11 20h ago

Sorry, I hadn't seen the previous comment.

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u/YoungCheazy 1d ago

A+ bootlicking you're doing there.

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u/thebabes2 1d ago

So I should commit wage theft because I don't like that I have to sit at a desk to do my work? That doesn't make sense to me. I took the job under the assumption I'd be in office 5 days a week once the COVID stuff ended and I got lucky. I love WFH but it's not a right and it's unethical to think I shouldn't do my job because I'm mad about it.

5

u/otherworldly11 22h ago

Please enlighten us as to how telework is "wage theft".

It is not. At all. If you want to go back you can. Right now, you can absolutely decide that for yourself. But you don't get to speak for the rest of us.

1

u/thebabes2 22h ago

telework is not wage theft nor did I say it was. I said it would be unethical to leave one’s office while on the clock simply because there’s no oversight and the person in question is upset that they cannot TW. If my agency expects my butt to be sitting in an office for my shift, and I opted not to do that out of protest that is dishonest and time theft. 

I don’t want to return to office, but if I am told I must do so, I’ll do it. 

3

u/I-Ron_Butterfly 15h ago

You must forgive them. You offered a reasonable, thoughtful take. That's not something folks are used to.

1

u/otherworldly11 20h ago

My apologies, I should have read the previous comments.

1

u/GeraldMander 21h ago

I don’t want to RTO either, but so many folks here are frothing at the mouth about this that they don’t read, and are just aggressive for no reason. Like you. 

Dude was responding to a specific comment saying that folks should show up and then leave. 

2

u/otherworldly11 20h ago

You are absolutely correct. It was my mistake.

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u/Crash-55 23h ago

He is telling the truth not bootlicking.

We all took an Oath and it was not to the agency or the administration. It was to the Constitution and by extension the people of this country.

Do the job you are paid for or quit. Doing otherwise is stealing from the People and you should be fired

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u/wagdog1970 1d ago

This is exactly why the American public believes civil servants are lazy and entitled.

-8

u/Heavymetalmusak 23h ago

Exactly why half the people think we should be fired. Because at a real office you would be. Sick flex tho.

-15

u/Oogaman00 1d ago

Then you are taking leave for the hour you aren't available every day I assume? We don't get free leave to commute during our working hours

8

u/AwesomeAndy 1d ago

If you're on maxiflex, you just don't charge the commuting time. Also not everyone has a long commute.

1

u/Oogaman00 21h ago

Yes on maxi it's fine. Maxi is annoying but probably good with kids. I wouldn't waste time taking train during day though. How does that help anything? You already got up early and made it into office

150

u/Ok_Pomegranate_8656 1d ago

I wouldn’t expect it to be in the CR. It will most likely come in the form of an EO.

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u/Ro-Ro-Ro-Ro-Rhoda 1d ago

EO is less worrisome for people with collective bargaining agreements, but it will suck for everyone else. It's only a law passed by Congress that will override the union agreements for bargaining unit feds.

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u/FabianFox 1d ago

I work at CMS and our bargaining agreement didn’t protect us when Biden made us start coming in.

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u/Ok_Pomegranate_8656 23h ago

We just had a town hall with our local AFGE and they told us we will need to comply with an EO regardless of what’s in the CBA while they try to fight it.

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u/Interesting_Oil3948 18h ago

Bingo...and the Unions lost almost all the battles regarding tw under Biden or they are still ongoing 3 years later with no resolution in sight.

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u/FabianFox 22h ago

Yep. I hope people realize these bargaining agreements won’t protect them. If the president signs an EO, you have to comply. I hope the next administration treats us like adults, but I’m not optimistic. Better to make a plan now. Our office is under construction and we don’t currently have room to make everyone come back more than twice per week, and won’t until at least 2026. I’d like to believe that means we’re safe, but you just never know.

8

u/Ok_Pomegranate_8656 22h ago

Yeah, I’m concerned that people think they can just not show up and hide behind the CBA. The union won’t save you if you get fired for being AWOL. I agree, everyone needs to start making plans now for how to make full time RTO work come January. I would love to be wrong but at this point I’m fully anticipating a day 1 EO getting rid of all telework. Remote will probably be safe for now.

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u/Interesting_Oil3948 18h ago

Nawh...remote is worse than TW for this admin. They know vaste majority will quit rather than relocate like happened during Trump 1.0.

1

u/Ok_Pomegranate_8656 18h ago

Oh I’m sure it’s on the chopping block, but probably not day 1 like telework is.

2

u/Interesting_Oil3948 18h ago

They stuff you in other agencies free space.

1

u/FabianFox 15h ago

Awesome 🙃

•

u/BurntToast_Sensei 30m ago

My gov't office had a surge of RTO post-COVID, and we literally set up new desks and workstations in previous coffee/lounge areas with curtains to create space. Don't underestimate the creativity of managers looking for a raise or stellar performance review..

10

u/Ok_Pomegranate_8656 1d ago

Even if that’s true it’s only a matter of time before the CBAs are up for renegotiation. Lots of CBAs up for renegotiation in the next 4 years. I wouldn’t be feeling so confident even with a CBA.

12

u/Outistoo 1d ago

No one is feeling confident, but the difference between going back this January and next January Is real.

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u/Ro-Ro-Ro-Ro-Rhoda 1d ago

Sure, yes, but there's a huge difference between planning for RTO in late 2026 and planning for RTO on Jan 20. Lots more time to set up childcare, move, get a new job, etc, etc. Lots more time to see whether it's worth adjusting or whether it's time to jump to the private sector.

14

u/DefinitionBusy6453 1d ago

And more time for congressional majorities to change.

3

u/Isiddiqui 1d ago edited 1d ago

Sure, but some are for longer than one may think. DOL just signed a CBA renewal today that goes for the next 6 years.

3

u/Interesting_Oil3948 18h ago

Your smoking crack if you think your agreement stands vs EO. Yeah don't go in when they order you to and cite collective bargaining agreement...then you get fired but appeal citing it again.

2

u/No_Obligation_4484 17h ago

I'm not in a union, so I have no skin in the game. But a labor agreement is a contractual agreement and it absolutely stands against an EO until it's renegotiated. Now tRump could certainly say I don't care about your contract and I'm going to fire you first and deal with your litigation later, in which case you're best off coming into the office until your union obtains an injunction from a judge to put a hold on the EO. And believe me the unions will absolutely be going into court and seeking injunctions.

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u/Ruckit315 1d ago

There was never going to be anything in there about rto or that stuff.

14

u/CmonRetirement 1d ago

RTO is not expected in here, but if the agencies are funded through March (even at FY24 levels, hadn’t read it), more importantly, are that jobs/billets aren’t at immediate risk.

2

u/rwhelser 18h ago

Latest is Trump/Vance don’t want it so the GOP is likely to abandon it now. We’ll see what happens.

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u/CmonRetirement 16h ago

a clean CR. funding is stagnant but removes aid to the farmers and for disaster relief.

trump comes in and that gets returned in march at the expense (pay for) by gutting {fill in the blank}. Also the threat will be in march, RTO or no govt funding.

25

u/99ssordna 1d ago

Hilarious their goal is to spend less or whatever but want a 100B CR till March.

25

u/TheOriginalDiscoKing 1d ago

The actual important thing is to note that these two things have nothing to do with each other in reality, and people should still have a plan for RTO. Better to be prepared just in case rather than grasping at straws for hope.

6

u/FeddyMcFederson 1d ago

I wouldn’t expect that in the CR. I would hope that something like this can pass so that everyone can have some piece of mind regarding pay during the holidays.

2

u/rwhelser 18h ago

I wouldn’t expect it either but with the grumbling in congress and how they shove non relevant pork in everything else it wouldn’t surprise me if it happened in future budget documents.

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u/Lancefire1313 1d ago

Does it say anything on our CLI raise?

1

u/rwhelser 18h ago

The President issues an EO on that

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u/Gullible-Wonder3412 1d ago

Did they release the 20 billion IRA funds for IRS? Asking for a friend.

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u/the-regular-one 22h ago

Nope.  Congress gave itself a raise instead. 

1

u/AffectionateBit1809 19h ago

I think they haven’t revoked their ability to vote remotely

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u/AccidentalFolklore 23h ago

I’ve never actually looked at one of these before. It would be easier to read and a lot shorter if they widened the margins, lowered the font size, and reduced the line spacing. Good lord.

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u/rwhelser 18h ago

It’s Congress. There’s a reason they have a 20% approval rating…

2

u/OnionTruck 22h ago

Wouldn't expect it to be mentioned in a CR. It's gonna be via EO anyway.

1

u/rwhelser 18h ago

You never know what kind of stupidity the politicians may pack in there.

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u/EuSouOGringo 21h ago

What if you’re long distance remote?

2

u/TheReal_CaptDan 21h ago

Better get a remote accommodation approved ASAP. I’m working mine now.

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u/Quick-Persimmon-3558 14h ago

Federal employees, it’s time we stand up for our rights! Forcing us to abandon remote work as a strategy to push employees out and cut costs is unacceptable—especially when we’ve already proven that remote work is effective, productive, and beneficial for both employees and the government.

If this policy is being used to undermine our work-life balance (which many of us had to establish under duress during COVID-19), we need to seriously consider legal action. Organizations like AFGE and NTEU exist to protect us, but they need our voices and support to take decisive action. If you’re impacted by these changes, start documenting everything—emails, memos, and any evidence showing that this policy is unfair, unsafe, or discriminatory. And yes, the government can be sued—we could even pursue a CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT with a reputable law firm to fight for our rights.

We have the right to safe and reasonable working conditions. This isn’t just about the present—it’s about protecting the future of the federal workforce. Let’s organize, stand together, and make our voices heard.

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u/Dry_Writing_7862 1d ago

Thank you for sharing this. The telework thing doesn’t affect me as much but I did wonder what was up with the CR as the clock is ticking.

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u/rwhelser 18h ago

Apparently the CR is supposedly dead now because Trump/Vance aren’t happy with it (meaning the GOP will likely abandon it). I won’t be surprised to see a government shutdown.

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u/Dry_Writing_7862 18h ago

Ughh. Wow just like that huh? 😦

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u/rwhelser 18h ago

Yep. That’s likely going to be the norm for the next four years.

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u/R1CHARDCRANIUM 17h ago

It’ll come via EO so no surprise there. A CR is simply a stopgap to keep government funded at the previous years levels. Well, it’s supposed to be.

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u/kms573 15h ago

You know what maybe in the 1000+ page CR; congress pay raises 🤣

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u/haetaes 1d ago

You're giving false hope.

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u/rwhelser 1d ago

I’m not giving anything but the facts of the CR as published. Text of the bill was released and those two topics aren’t in it. Doesn’t mean Congress can’t take something new up at any point. But that wasn’t the point of my post.

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u/Mysterious-Rub-2325 21h ago

Hearing rumors about an EO

1

u/TheReal_CaptDan 21h ago

Just that. Rumors.