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The Environmental Protection Agency is set to end its remote work policy as Administrator Lee Zeldin directs all employees to return to their offices, following the Trump administration’s broader initiative to restore in-person federal workplace operations.

Zeldin communicated this decision through a video message on his X platform, where he expressed gratitude to staff members who have maintained an in-person presence while calling for all employees to resume office work.

“To the dedicated employees who have been showing up to the office every day, thank you,” he said. “Your commitment to our mission does not go unnoticed.

“To all the other great members of the team, it’s time to return to the office, to partner, collaborate, and to deliver.”

The administrator revealed concerning statistics about current office attendance, noting that the EPA headquarters experiences particularly low occupancy rates at the beginning and end of each week, with attendance remaining below 10% on Mondays and Fridays for more than 12 months.

Even during peak attendance days, Zeldin reported that workforce presence barely exceeded one-third of total employees.

The EPA’s Washington, D.C., headquarters complex, which encompasses five buildings across two city blocks, currently stands largely unoccupied, with numerous empty workstations throughout the facilities.

“The American people rely on every single one of us to protect their access to clean air, land, and water,” he said. “Our mission of protecting human health and the environment is far too important for any of us to ever come up short.”