The rot in D.C. runs deep. But now it’s out in the open for all to see.
Because a devastating report exposed the deep state for what it truly is.
A new report from the House Oversight Committee reveals the federal government’s remote work culture has reached staggering levels, with 10% of the federal workforce—about 228,000 employees—never setting foot in an office.
The report, released Wednesday, highlights the Biden administration’s failure to rein in telework policies that leave federal buildings eerily empty while taxpayers foot the bill.
Beyond the fully remote workers, another 1.1 million federal employees are eligible for telework, and nearly all take advantage of it.
Investigators found that these employees, on average, work remotely two days a week, contributing to the ghost-town atmosphere at agency facilities.
Health and Human Services leads the pack with nearly one-third of its workforce working entirely remotely. Over at the Department of Education, 55% of employees never have to appear in person, and even those who telework spend the majority of their time away from the office.
The report also exposed attempts by Biden administration officials to downplay the extent of the issue.
Despite photographic evidence of empty federal buildings—such as the 6,300-employee Social Security office with an empty parking lot at 11 a.m. on a Wednesday—officials continue to claim their employees “show up every day.”
“The lights may be on in federal buildings, but too many federal bureaucrats continue to work from home,” said Rep. James Comer (R-KY), chairman of the committee.
Comer criticized the government’s telework policies as being employee-focused rather than mission-driven, failing to prioritize taxpayers’ interests.
Most agencies haven’t even measured whether telework helps achieve their goals, the report noted. The Veterans Benefits Administration was singled out as the only agency with a meaningful measure of telework effectiveness.
Federal managers have defended their policies by pointing to competition with the private sector. IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel, who spearheaded significant hiring at the agency, told Congress last year that telework is essential for attracting talent.
“We have to stay competitive in the labor market and we want to make sure that we’re providing good flexibility versus what other employers might provide,” Werfel said.
The federal civilian workforce totals 2.28 million employees, with 228,000 fully remote and over 1.1 million eligible for hybrid telework. Despite tough talk from the Biden administration about returning to the office, the committee found little action behind the rhetoric.
“Biden-Harris administration officials worked with federal labor union allies not only to lock in high telework levels but to undermine the ability of the incoming Trump Administration to unlock them and to manage its own workforce,” the GOP report concluded.
In one example, the Social Security Administration struck a deal with its labor union in November to cement policies allowing employees to be in the office as little as two days per week.
Former Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley is expected to testify during Wednesday’s Oversight Committee hearing on telework.
As President Biden’s team continues to grapple with the fallout of generous telework policies negotiated early in the administration, Republicans argue the damage has already been done, making it an uphill battle for the next administration to restore accountability in the federal workforce.
Stay tuned to Prudent Politics.
