In March 2025, thousands of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) employees were ordered to report back into the office, full time. Across the federal government, many agencies have ordered their workforce back into the office, revoking telework status that was often put in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, FDA’s case was unique in that it had been utilizing teleworking practices for more than a decade before the pandemic. Many employees were to report to headquarters in Maryland, where they experienced difficulties on the first day back. When the thousands of employees showed up to work, they were met with an environment many alleged was not yet ready to handle an influx of personnel – overflowing parking lots, long security lines, and offices were makeshift spaces without chairs and other basic supplies.

Immigration enforcement has become a major focus under the new administration, a change that affects many federal law enforcement officers and their job duties. The responsibility of managing the more than 7.6 million immigrants in the country without legal status currently falls on about 6,000 ICE deportation agents. According to the Trump administration, more agents are needed to carry out the administration’s immigration priorities. To fill this gap, agents from the U.S. Marshals, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons are being deputized to assist with immigration enforcement.

Federal Workforce Changes Leave Federal Managers Vulnerable

A recent report by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that, while a majority of agency employees who responded to a workplace culture survey feel safe, valued, and respected, employee views of FDIC management and leadership in related to harassment and misconduct were less favorable.