CNN’s Brianna Keilar reported Thursday that military spouses who have been teleworking from home are at risk of losing their jobs under President Trump’s new Return to Work order. Trump announced that federal employees who have been working remotely must either return to the office on a full-time basis or “be terminated.”
Keilar’s report met resistance from Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX), a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the Subcommittee on Military Personnel and also a member of the new House Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE, sharing an acronym with the Department of Government Efficiency run by Elon Musk).
Informed that military spouses were being negatively impacted by Trump’s Return To Work order, Fallon asked Keilar if the telework options the military spouses have been using were available before or after COVID. (Note: the Return To Work order is primarily aimed at reversing remote work setups that are a legacy of pandemic era shutdowns.)
Keilar told Fallon that, yes, the remote work setups at issue had predated the pandemic, telling Fallon: “Yes, before Covid. Prior to Covid.”
Fallon replied, “Okay, they could telework. Okay, and what you’re saying now is they’re not allowed to telework, or is someone just telling you that? Because it sounds anecdotal.”
Keilar replied: “It’s not anecdotal, sir.”
Fallon asked: “So did someone call you up on the phone or did you read it in an article?”
Rep. Pat Fallon has a meltdown on CNN and refuses to acknowledge reports that military spouses are at risk of losing their jobs under new Trump guidance.
— Kelsie Taggart (@kelsientaggart) February 5, 2025
Fallon even mocked the anchor, "So, you've done scientific research on it already." pic.twitter.com/dKWaQZQlaf
Keilar, a military spouse herself (see below), told Fallon: “I’m talking to dozens of military spouses, they had telework before Covid.” She added: “They will not be able to maintain their work because of this Return to Work EO. Even the OPM guidance involving remote work is not being honored to the word by some of these agencies, which is going to have to force them out of the workforce because they cannot manage their families and their job.”
(Note: OPM, which Keilar references above, is the Office of Personnel Management.)
Fallon replied: “Well, we’re gonna have to take a look at that. I haven’t seen that and now you’ve talked to apparently 18 or so military spouses. I’ve talked to plenty of military spouses, I haven’t heard that but I’m certainly welcoming to look into it.”
When Keiler replied: “I have talked to significantly more than 18,” Fallon replied, “Well, you just told me dozens. So I guess, what is dozens then, hundreds of people?”
Keiler replied: “It is not anecdotal, I will tell you that. This is widespread across many many agencies.”
Fallon responded: “So you’ve done scientific research on it already, okay.”
Keibler replied: “I’ve done reporting on it. That’s what I do, I report. But it’s a broad problem, I’m just letting you know.”
Fallon persisted: “Well, there’s a difference between reporting and spin, so, there’s that, okay.”
Keilar replied: “I’m not spinning. There are military spouses who are the backbone of the military and this is what they’re saying is happening, some of whom support Trump.” She thanked the congressman for coming on the show.
After the segment, Keilar shared a link on X to the Military.com article The Return to Work Order Is Creating Chaos, Anguish for Military Spouses.
"We're keeping our house, and I'm staying behind with the kids while he moves ahead.”
— Brianna Keilar (@brikeilarcnn) February 6, 2025
-Military spouse, who is also a Navy vet, on having to split up her family up amid uncertainty over the Return to Work EO https://t.co/cuMsgheL2B
Note: Keilar didn’t mention it in the conversation with Fallon, but she is a military spouse. The reporter is married to Colonel Fernando Lujan, a U.S. Army Special Forces Officer and Foreign Area Specialist. He was a director on the National Security Council at the White House from 2014 to 2017.
