DNC Sets February Full-Time Office Return; Staff and Union Object

Overview

• DNC chair Ken Martin told staff in a Wednesday meeting that employees must work from the Capitol Hill headquarters five days a week starting in February 2026.
• Remote attendees displayed a cascade of thumbs-down emojis during the call, and Martin said those unwilling to comply should consider other jobs.
• SEIU Local 500 condemned the move as callous, said it is considering its options, and has advocated for a hybrid schedule.
• Martin said remote work would be considered on a case-by-case basis despite the full-time in-office requirement.
• Republican operatives publicly mocked the backlash, and coverage framed the mandate within a broader national push back to offices tied to a Trump administration memo and rising D.C. transit ridership.