Will Trump be able to get federal government workers back to the office?

Donald Trump seems determined to get federal employees to return to their offices. Last week, he warned them that if they don’t, “they’re going to be dismissed.”

That’s easier said than done. According to the Washington Post, about 56 percent of the federal workforce is covered by collective bargaining agreements, and many of these contracts allow working from home.

The Biden administration made Trump’s quest more difficult with a parting gift to a core constituency, government workers. Biden’s social security commissioner signed a five-year contract with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) that extends work-at-home privileges to 42,000 employees.

Proponents of working from home say that employees perform as effectively at home as they do at the office. But the AFGE’s own work policy belies that claim.