House Oversight report says telework is ‘wasting billions’ in taxpayer cash ahead of 1st hearing
The House Oversight Committee recently released a report highlighting the negative impacts of prolonged pandemic-era telework on government agencies and new employee training. The report, titled “The lights are on, but everyone is at home: Why the new administration will enter largely vacant federal agency offices,” was prepared by Republicans on the committee and obtained by Fox News Digital.
According to the report, the Biden-Harris administration’s policy of keeping federal workers in a telework format even after COVID restrictions were lifted has resulted in billions of taxpayer dollars being wasted on vacant federal office space. The report also suggests that the administration’s self-reported telework data may be exaggerating in-office attendance.
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., expressed concern over the administration’s reliance on telework and its impact on agency missions. He stated that the administration has prioritized the preferences of federal union bosses over fulfilling agency missions and serving the American people.
The committee found that the administration worked with federal labor unions to maintain high telework levels, making it difficult for the incoming Trump administration to reduce them. Comer emphasized the need for accountability in Washington and proposed solutions to bring federal employees back to their offices, dispose of unused federal property, and prioritize the needs of the American people.
Recommendations outlined in the report include basing telework policies on mission outcomes, establishing automated systems for tracking telework usage, and implementing an enterprise-wide approach to telework that prioritizes the public interest. The committee also recommends imposing reporting requirements on agency-level telework and discouraging a telework bidding war among agencies.
The report comes ahead of the committee’s first hearing of the new Congress, titled “Stay-at-Home Federal Workforce: Another Biden-Harris Administration Legacy.” The hearing will feature testimony from former Social Security Administration Commissioner Martin O’Malley, Federal City Council Board of Directors President Tom Davis, and Rachel Greszler of the Economic Policy Innovation Center.
The committee plans to examine how the Biden-Harris administration’s failure to return federal workers to the office could hinder the incoming Trump administration’s efforts to bring them back. A Senate report authored by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, found that the federal government owns thousands of vacant and partially empty buildings, with an average occupancy rate of 12%.
Overall, the House Oversight Committee’s report underscores the need for accountability and efficiency in federal telework policies to ensure that government agencies can effectively fulfill their missions and serve the American people.
