There was a leaked OPM memo that was going to require DC govt workers to RTO. It obviously made a bunch of waves and they backed way off of it.
This is probably their compromise solution. Because the DC mayor and all of those poor unfortunate corporate commercial landlords were losing money. And businesses weren’t getting the foot traffic from office workers anymore.
The talented govt folks would walk. They already don’t get paid what their equivalents do in the private sector. RTO would have screwed the administrations ability to get things done.