The Office of Personnel Management determined federal offices would open with employees having the option to take unscheduled leave or unscheduled telework.
Jason Miller
January 27, 2026 8:05 pm
3 min read
Federal employees in the Washington, D.C. area are expected to return to the office Wednesday, albeit with a one-hour delayed opening. The Office of Personnel Management determined federal offices would open with employees having the option to take unscheduled leave or unscheduled telework.
OPM Director Scott Kupor signaled earlier in the day that federal offices in the DC area would likely open on Jan. 28, before making the official decision this evening.
OK – final call for Wed. The government will be open, but with a 1-hour delayed start time and with the option for unscheduled telework or unscheduled leave. We realize that many of you are dealing with highly different conditions depending on where you live. The DOTs understand… https://t.co/x1TSq7uDoY
— Scott Kupor (@skupor) January 27, 2026
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Kupor wrote a blog post today explaining how OPM decides whether to open federal offices.
“It starts inside OPM’s operations center, where our emergency management team continuously monitors conditions that could affect federal operations. When potential concerns arise, the team alerts senior leadership and places OPM support staff on standby. If a change appears likely, OPM convenes with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments regional group that includes more than 200 partners, such as the National Weather Service, WMATA, regional transportation and public works agencies, school districts, and local law enforcement. These partners provide real-time, on-the-ground insight into weather conditions, road safety, transit operations, and community impacts. OPM leaders use that information to build a full picture of what’s happening across the region,” Kupor wrote. “Whether it’s a snowstorm, a hurricane, or something entirely different, our objective is always the same: protect the federal workforce, maintain continuity of government, and make sure federal employees have the information they need to plan their day safely.”
Federal offices in the DC region had been closed for the last two days except for emergency workers and those who routinely telework or are remote workers.
WTOP, Federal News Network’s partner station, said temperatures remain dangerously cold. The National Weather Service issued a cold weather advisory for the D.C. region, from 7 p.m. Tuesday until 11 a.m. Wednesday, warning of dangerously low temperatures.
However, it won’t be warm enough to melt the ice and snow covering the D.C. region, and some area roadways will remain difficult to travel after hundreds of snowplows worked Monday to clear main and secondary roads.
Commuter routes are well-plowed, but caution is advised on turn lanes and side roads — they may not be as clear. Keep an eye out for pedestrians, since several sidewalks are still buried in snow.
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For federal employees outside of the D.C. metro area affected by the winter storm, each agency will make their operating status decision, according to the governmentwide dismissal and closure policy, which OPM updated in December.
“Federal field office heads generally make workforce status decisions for their agencies’ employees and report those workforce status decisions to their agencies’ headquarters,” the guidance stated. “Agencies located outside the ‘Washington capital beltway’ should consider governmentwide operating status announcements when developing local operating status announcements. Employees should always check their agencies’ operating status. Agency-issued operating status announcements should include procedures concerning telework, arrival and departure times, and leave requests.”
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