Overview
- Chair Ken Martin told Washington-based employees on a staff call they must work from the Capitol Hill office full time beginning in February 2026.
- The DNC staff union labeled the directive "shocking" and "callous" and said it is considering its options under a recently ratified contract.
- Remote attendees responded with a reported flurry of thumbs-down emojis as Martin said those opposed to the policy should consider other jobs and called pandemic-era remote work a "Band-Aid."
- Leadership indicated case-by-case flexibility for family or medical needs, and the collective bargaining agreement allows occasional remote requests with notice.
- Partisan reactions followed, with RNC press secretary Kiersten Pels mocking the backlash and Democrat Neera Tanden urging staff to accept in-office work if they believe the stakes are high.