Military spouses network with prospective employers at the MilSpo Career Expo in September 2015 at Fort Liberty (then-Fort Bragg), N.C. House lawmakers introduced a bill Wednesday to exempt military spouses from a return-to-office mandate, launching a bipartisan effort to retain telework and remote work arrangements for military families. (Audra Satterlee/U.S. Army)
WASHINGTON — House lawmakers introduced a bill Wednesday to exempt military spouses from President Donald Trump’s return-to-office mandate, launching a bipartisan effort to retain telework and remote work arrangements for military families.
The bill would spare military spouses who work for the federal government from going back to in-person work as ordered by President Donald Trump on the day of his inauguration. Lawmakers argue the exemption will keep experienced staff from leaving the federal workforce and help military families hold onto their jobs.
The federal government employs over 16,000 military, veteran and surviving spouses, according to data provided by the White House in 2023.
Reps. Rob Wittman, R-Va., and Eugene Vindman, D-Va., said they introduced the bill after hearing from worried military families in Virginia, where many federal workers live.
One woman told Vindman, a former Army lieutenant colonel, that she is being forced to choose between commuting 200 miles to her agency’s office in Washington or leaving her job of 18 years. The woman’s husband is an active-duty service member.
“No military family should have to make this choice,” Vindman said. “That’s why I’m introducing this bipartisan bill to guarantee that those serving our country in uniform can continue their mission, that our federal agencies retain experienced staff and that military families remain together.”
A Jan. 27 memo issued by the Office of Personnel Management and the Office of Management and Budget mentions military spouses who work remotely as an exemption to Trump’s order, but it is not clear if that is being universally followed as agencies force employees into offices.
Wittman said a military spouse contacted his office because her family relies on dual incomes, and her ability to maintain consistent employment throughout military moves has been essential for her family’s well-being. She said remote work has allowed her to maintain a federal career despite frequent relocations.
“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. “Supporting the careers of military spouses is patriotic and just plain common sense.”
Military spouses face long-term employment challenges due to the nature of military life, and their unemployment has hovered around 21% for years, according to Defense Department data.
The introduced legislation, called the Support Military Families Act, also mandates that the comptroller general of the U.S. submit a report to Congress detailing the number of military spouses affected by Trump’s order and the average distance those spouses must commute if they are required to report to their office.
The report must also include the estimated economic impact of requiring military spouses to perform in-person work, including the cost of filling positions that become vacant, and the lost productivity costs to the federal government, according to the bill.
