Bipartisan bill would Protect military spouses from Federal RTO mandate

Photo by Patrick Morris

A bipartisan bill introduced by two Virginia representatives would exempt military spouses from the federal return to office mandate.

The Support Military families Act was introduced by Reps Rob Wittman (R-VA) and Eugene Vindman (D-VA). The goal of the legislations is “To permit Federal employees who are spouses of members of the armed forces to engage in telework and remote work, and for other purposes.”

The exception would apply to military spouses who were eligible for remote work prior to Jan 20, 2025.

The bill also would require the Comptroller General of the United States to submit a report on: the number of federal employees who are military spouses, the average distance they would have to commute to report in-person, and an estimate of the economic impact of requiring these employees perform in-person work.

One of President Trump’s first actions upon taking office was an Executive order mandating RTO for all federal employees. This has caused a lot of uncertainty among military families, partially due to incomplete government guidance. Another issue is the government’s definition, and the interchangeability of the terms, “telework” and “remote work.”