Some FDA staff considering quitting due to Trump’s RTO policy

As the reality of the Trump administration’s return-to-office (RTO) policy settles in, some US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) staff are looking for new jobs or are taking buyout offers from the government. Several agency workers say they plan to quit after facing challenges such as long commute times, difficulty parking, lack of workspaces, and additional expenses associated with adhering to the RTO order.

FDA sources who spoke to Focus, and were granted anonymity due to fear of reprisal, said they, and many of their colleagues, have found the return-to-office experience difficult and are considering leaving their jobs. Several workers have reportedly accepted or are considering taking the administration’s Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments (VSIP) buyout or Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA) programs. (RELATED: FDA reviewers, inspectors, and investigators excluded from $25K buyout offer, Regulatory Focus 10 March 2025)

“I am hearing that remote folks, especially medical officers and senior reviewers, are planning to leave,” a senior FDA source told Focus.

While some staffers spent more than an hour driving into FDA’s White Oak campus in Silver Spring, MD, only to be faced with difficulty parking and long security lines, the source said that things were even more dire at field offices around the country. The source said that some people had to work from cubicles at LAX airport, in windowless basements, and in crammed conference rooms. (RELATED: FDA’s return-to-office chaos, probationary workers reinstated, and demotion fears, Regulatory Focus 17 March 2025)

The source also shared a photo a colleague sent from a field office conference room in Utah, where, due to a lack of space, they used a trashcan as a table.

An FDA worker in Colorado told Focus that they are looking for other jobs and know of at least half a dozen colleagues around the country who are doing the same. The source said their field office houses over a hundred workers, and some are working 10 people to a conference room. They also complained of slow internet connection and a lack of space to take calls privately, which they said raises confidentiality concerns.

Furthermore, they said rat droppings had been found around the building, and that they needed to pack their lunches each day since there were limited food options nearby.

"I feel like a prisoner, and other people I've talked to feel exactly the same way," said the source. "I feel disrespected, like our jobs don't even matter. These are important lifesaving jobs, and we're being treated like cattle."

The source said their job was advertised as fully remote, and they budgeted for it accordingly. But now they and their colleagues must factor in additional costs such as car expenses and child and pet care.

Some FDA staff considering quitting due to Trump’s RTO policy

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