Trump Threatens Remote Work Agreement Between SSA-AFGE Signed by Democrats By Esteban Cabrera
New York: This article will address the influence of the Democratic Party’s politics on the remote work agreement between the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and how this situation could harm Social Security beneficiaries.
Remote work, or telecommuting, became necessary during the COVID-19 crisis in 2020. Its implementation was adopted globally, and the results were generally positive. However, maintaining this modality in the post-COVID era in the U.S. is being influenced by the political interests of the Democratic Party and AFGE, the country’s largest federal workers’ union.
In December 2024, AFGE and the SSA signed an extension of their remote work agreement until 2029, under the auspices of the Biden administration and the Democratic Party, to the detriment of SSA beneficiaries’ interests. This agreement comes at a time of a changing administration, putting it in strong contradiction with the stance of incoming President Donald Trump and his Republican Party. Trump has already opposed the agreement, announcing his intention to challenge Biden’s initiative to allow tens of thousands of federal workers to continue with a hybrid telecommuting scheme until 2029.
Trump’s Criticism
Trump did not waste time criticizing the agreement, saying: “We’re talking about a friendly takeover, a friendly transition, and it is. But there are two events that I think are very terrible. One is that if people don’t return to the office, they will be fired, but someone in the Biden administration gave a five-year exemption for that. So, 49,000 workers don’t have to move from their homes or return to the offices for five years. They just signed this. It’s ridiculous. It was like a gift to a union; obviously, we will go to court to stop it,” warned Trump.
Reactions from Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy
Martin O’Malley
The joint reaction of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, recently appointed by Trump as leaders of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), came quickly. Both stated: “Requiring federal employees to go to the office five days a week could lead to a wave of voluntary resignations, which we welcome. If federal employees don’t want to show up, American taxpayers shouldn’t pay them for the privilege of staying at home.”
Internal Position of AFGE
Before the news leaked to the media last week, Rich Couture, spokesperson for the AFGE-SSA General Committee, sent an internal message thanking former Commissioner Martin O’Malley and emphasizing that the current remote work policy is key in the agency’s fight against workforce attrition. Couture made it clear that workers who do not go to the SSA office might resign rather than show up to work in the offices.
Who is Martin O’Malley, and What is the Democratic Party’s Influence on the Decision?
To understand the political context of the fierce battle between the Trump administration and AFGE-SSA, it is crucial to know the background of Martin O’Malley, the former SSA commissioner who promoted the agreement. O’Malley, a Democratic Party politician, was the mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007 and governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015. During his tenure as governor, he promoted progressive laws, such as allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses and in-state college tuition and legalizing same-sex marriage in Maryland.
In 2023, O’Malley was appointed SSA commissioner by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate in December of that year. In 2024, after the agreement extending remote work until 2029 was signed, O’Malley announced his candidacy to chair the Democratic National Committee in 2025. His actions have caused chaos and unprecedented conflict, especially with the incoming Trump administration.
