Venture investor Marc Andreessen recently outlined the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) priorities, emphasizing the return-to-office initiative for federal employees.
Speaking on a Hoover Institution podcast, Andreessen, cofounder and general partner of Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), described DOGE’s focus areas as headcount, government spending, and regulations. He noted that the team has "very clever ideas" in all three areas.
Andreessen, who referred to himself as an "unpaid intern" at DOGE, highlighted a startling statistic: federal buildings operate at just 25% occupancy, on average. Addressing remote work among government employees is a key topic of discussion for the DOGE team. "The Washington, D.C. federal building complex is basically a ghost town," he stated, pointing out that while security agencies remain fully staffed on-site, other agencies do not follow suit.
Union agreements allow some federal employees to work remotely, Andreessen observed, with certain employees only visiting the office one or two days a month. Some reportedly consolidate their attendance into two days every two months. Reflecting on the situation, Andreessen drew comparisons to the private sector. "Ask any CEO in Corporate America how this is going, and every one of them will say, 'What on earth is happening? Are these people even working?'" He also questioned whether former President Trump had the authority to mandate a return to in-office work.
"Does it count to be a federal government employee if you’re not in the office?" Andreessen asked pointedly.
In December 2024, as part of an effort to curb government spending, Trump advisors Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy proposed slashing $2 trillion in what they termed "government waste." Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a DOGE advocate, bolstered the proposal by releasing a report claiming that only 6% of federal employees work regularly in the office. Musk later amplified the report, posting on X that excluding security and maintenance staff, only about 1% of federal employees work a 40-hour week in the office.
DOGE, which remains an unofficial advisory body, is expected to disband on July 4, 2026. Its proposals, including the return-to-office initiative, are currently advisory. "As it should be; it will be the decision of the president," Andreessen concluded.
