Military spouses who work for the federal government will be granted an exemption from the return to office mandate, the Trump administration announced this week, Axios reported.
In January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order mandating the heads of all departments and agencies in the executive branch require in-person work "as soon as practicable" with "exemptions they deem necessary."
The new directive carves out an exception for some workers and applies to spouses of active-duty military members, disabled or deceased Armed Forces members, and members of the U.S. Foreign Service on overseas assignments, according to a memo from the Office of Personnel Management.
"Agencies shall allow military spouses to continue in existing remote work arrangements — regardless of whether they were appointed under the Military Spouses Employment Act authorities — and may continue to appoint military spouses to remote work positions. This guidance also applies to spouses of members of the U.S. Foreign Service who are on overseas assignments," wrote Charles Ezell, acting director of OPM.
The exemption comes after from the bipartisan work of Reps. Rob Wittman, R-Va., and Eugene Vindman, D-Va., who proposed legislation to permit remote work for military spouses employed by the federal government.
"Our military families make great sacrifices in support of their loved ones in the Armed Forces — for which we are forever grateful for — and should not come at the expense of employability, financial stability, or personal fulfillment," Wittman said in a statement.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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