OPM recommends telework, other flexibilities for D.C.-area feds ahead of military parade

The Office of Personnel Management last week recommended that federal agencies allow federal workers in the Washington, D.C., area to engage in telework or take leave later this week, as officials prepare for a controversial military parade in the nation’s capital.

The parade is scheduled for Saturday and is billed as celebrating the Army’s 250th anniversary, though it shares a date with President Trump’s 79th birthday, and is expected to cost in the tens of millions of dollars.

In a memo to federal chief human capital officers, OPM Associate Director for workforce policy and innovation Veronica Hinton warned that preparations for the parade could cause even greater gridlock than is normal for the famously traffic-heavy region.

“It is anticipated that beginning on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, preparations for the celebration may cause significant impacts to vehicular traffic and commute times in Washington, D.C.,” the memo states. “To help alleviate traffic congestion, prevent disruptions to preparation activities and minimize any distractions to law enforcement and security officials, [OPM] is reminding agencies of their authority to approve situational/unscheduled telework and other workforce flexibilities for impacted employees at their sole discretion.”

Hinton also highlighted agencies’ ability to approve employee requests for time off, whether it be through annual leave, other authorized absences or to otherwise accommodate alternative work schedules. Those who do continue to commute later this week should expect delays, she wrote.

“Beginning on June 11, 2025, employees reporting to a worksite in Washington, D.C., should allow extra time for travel to and from work whether by private vehicle or public transportation,” she wrote. “Employees should monitor local news media for any announcements on street closures for vehicular or pedestrian traffic and/or disruptions to public transportation. Agencies should use all communications tools they have in place to inform employees of any relevant, agency-specific issues.”

OPM’s recommendation came a week after the Agriculture Department directed some D.C.-area workers to work remotely for three weeks, because the department’s headquarters will be used to house soldiers tapped to participate in the parade.

Shortly upon returning to office in January, President Trump ordered the effective end of regularly scheduled telework across the federal workforce, despite evidence that the practice both improved productivity at federal agencies and that the government had lagged behind private industry in its usage of the practice. In some cases, agencies disregarded provisions of union contracts governing telework.