Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Wednesday backed the Trump administration’s decision to offer buyouts to federal workers who do not plan to return to the office, telling reporters that “drastic times call for drastic measures.”

The move comes as President Trump has looked to drastically scale back remote work for federal employees. Asked about the buyouts during a press conference at the House GOP’s retreat in south Florida — and if taxpayers are comfortable with scores of federal employees not working but receiving pay through the buyout — Johnson argued that federal employees have been receiving pay but not working for some time.

“They’ve been doing this for four years under the Biden administration,” Johnson said. “They had full license, apparently, to not come to work. And it's a terrible frustration for us and for the American people.”

“This is not like a private company. It should........

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