Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) celebrated the administration’s newly issued guidance, which heeds the bipartisan call to exempt military spouses from the federal return-to-work mandate.

“After more than a week of bipartisan advocacy, I’m pleased that the administration has expanded exemptions to the federal return-to-work mandate to include military spouses,” said Congressman Wittman. “I’m proud that our bipartisan Support Military Families Act helped spotlight this critical issue. These individuals make tremendous sacrifices in support of our active-duty service members, often facing frequent relocations that make maintaining an in-person job challenging. Standing by our military families isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s patriotic and simply common sense. I thank the administration for their decision to amend this executive order.”

“Today, I am celebrating a win for military families after the Administration heeded our bipartisan call to exempt military spouses from the return to in-person work order,” said Congressman Vindman. “Our bipartisan Support Military Families Act directly led to this action that treats the spouses who sacrifice so much for our nation with dignity and respect and supports the readiness of our military.”

"This updated guidance provides much-needed clarity for military families and recognizes the value and talent military spouse employees bring to the federal government," said Lt. Gen. Brian T. Kelly, USAF (Ret), president and CEO, Military Officers Association of America (MOAA). "MOAA thanks Representatives Vindman and Wittman, along with OPM officials and the wide network of grassroots stakeholders, for their work toward this solution. The federal government’s designated position as an ‘employer of choice’ for military spouses is a strategic one that should continuously be capitalized upon. These protections directly improve overall military readiness and sharpen our warfighting ability while setting the stage for more outreach from public sector employers toward this untapped group of talented workers."

Background:

On Feb. 5, 2025, Congressman Wittman joined with Congressman Eugene Vindman (D-VA-07) to introduce the Support Military Families Act, which would exempt military spouses who work for the federal government from the federal return to in-person work mandate, ensuring they can keep their jobs and support their servicemembers and families thereby keeping military families together and experienced staff on the job.

This bipartisan legislation was introduced after the congressmen’s offices heard directly from Virginians affected by the federal return-to-work mandate, which would have forced many military spouses to choose between their careers in public service and their families.

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