Grab your MAGA hat: Federal employees can once again wear political clothing to work.
On Wednesday, employees at the Social Security Administration received an email informing them of a change in guidance on wearing political apparel at work. The email, viewed by Business Insider, said that the Office of Special Counsel has returned to its previous policy that “does not prohibit wearing or displaying campaign or election-related items in the workplace after Election Day.”
The email went on to note that “year-round employees remain prohibited from engaging in activity that shows support for or opposition to political parties or partisan political groups while on duty, in a government room or building, wearing an official uniform or insignia, or using a government vehicle.”
The change in guidance refers to an advisory from the Office of Special Counsel issued on April 25. The OSC said it was rescinding May 2024 guidance on the Hatch Act — a law that restricts the political activities of federal employees — that prohibited the display of campaign items in the workplace after election day.
The previous guidance created “too great a burden on First Amendment interests and must therefore be discarded,” the advisory said.
The change comes after Social Security employees received an email in March, viewed by BI, that reminded them not to wear or display items of political parties or campaign slogans, including “‘MAGA/Make American Great Again’ or ‘When We Fight, We Win.'”
The rescission reverts the rules back to guidance from November 2020, which states that with some exceptions, the Hatch Act “does not prohibit employees from wearing campaign items, like t-shirts or hats, and displaying candidate photographs while they are on duty” after Election Day.
The Office of Special Counsel did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.
Trump’s administration, alongside the White House DOGE Office, is working to reshape the federal workforce and slash government waste. Over the past few months, thousands of federal workers across agencies have been terminated, and more reductions-in-force are expected later this year.
Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at asheffey@businessinsider.com or Signal at asheffey.97. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here’s our guide to sharing information securely.
