A new report from Senator Joni Ernst’s (R-IA) office highlights a dramatic shift in federal workforce practices, revealing that only 6% of federal employees are working full-time from their offices. Nearly a third are working entirely remotely, a significant departure from pre-pandemic norms, when just 3% of federal employees teleworked daily.
“The nation’s capital is a ghost town,” Ernst wrote in her report, citing an average occupancy rate of just 12% in federal government buildings. “If federal employees can’t be found at their desks, exactly where are they?”
The findings raise pressing questions about accountability, productivity, and the efficient use of taxpayer dollars, with Ernst criticizing the Biden administration for fostering a lack of oversight.
In her report, Ernst expressed frustration with what she perceives as a culture of unaccountability in federal agencies. Drawing a sharp contrast with her own work history, Ernst remarked, “When I was making the biscuits at Hardee’s, I clocked in every morning. At the end of my shift, I clocked out. If I didn’t show up, the biscuits wouldn’t be made, and I wouldn’t be paid. Plain and simple.”
Ernst argues that federal telework policies lack similar accountability. Over half of federal employees are now eligible to telework, with nearly 90% of those doing so regularly. Despite this flexibility, backlogs in federal services have become the norm, she noted, citing examples like the FDA ignoring a whistleblower warning about bacteria in baby formula.
The shift to remote work has left many federal buildings vastly underutilized. Ernst’s report, developed with the nonprofit Open the Books, uncovered staggering costs tied to vacant properties. The federal government spends $15.7 billion annually on leasing and maintaining office spaces, with an additional $15 million allocated to vacant and partially empty buildings.
Not a single federal agency currently occupies more than half of its allocated office space, further highlighting inefficiencies in resource allocation.
Ernst also pointed to what she called “absurd anomalies” in locality pay practices. Her investigation found that 25% of daily teleworkers live more than 50 miles from their workplace. These employees often receive locality pay increases meant for workers in high-cost areas, even though they rarely, if ever, work from those locations.
Ernst didn’t limit her criticism to federal employees. She called out President Joe Biden for setting what she described as a poor example. Biden has spent 532 days away from the White House during his tenure, she noted, suggesting that his absences may contribute to a broader lack of workplace discipline in government agencies.
Ernst plans to raise these concerns during a meeting with Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leaders Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. The meeting, scheduled for Thursday, will focus on strategies to boost productivity and accountability in federal offices.
One of Ernst’s chief concerns is the Biden administration’s redaction of work location information for over 281,000 federal employees, a move her office uncovered during the investigation. She argued that this lack of transparency undermines public trust and hampers efforts to hold agencies accountable.
The senator also criticized union agreements that have preserved expansive teleworking privileges, even as President Biden publicly called for an increase in in-person attendance.
“It’s time to get serious about ensuring that federal employees earn their paychecks,” Ernst said. “Taxpayers deserve a workforce that delivers the services they fund without unnecessary delays or excuses.”
The report painted a stark picture of Washington, D.C., describing the city as a “ghost town.” Major federal buildings that were once bustling with activity now operate at minimal capacity. Ernst’s findings have intensified calls for a reassessment of federal telework policies and sparked debates about whether taxpayer dollars are being spent effectively.
On social media, the findings sparked sharp reactions, with supporters of Ernst’s investigation demanding greater accountability. Critics, however, argued that remote work can enhance productivity and reduce costs if implemented properly.
The report from Senator Joni Ernst underscores a critical issue facing the federal government: the balance between modernizing workplace practices and maintaining accountability to taxpayers. With billions of dollars spent annually on underutilized office spaces and mounting concerns over productivity, the pressure is on to reform federal workforce policies.
As debates over telework and transparency continue, Ernst’s report has ignited a broader conversation about what accountability should look like in a post-pandemic federal workforce. Whether these issues will lead to meaningful change remains to be seen, but the stakes—both financial and operational—are undoubtedly high.
JUST IN – Only 6% of federal workers “report in-person on a full-time basis,” senate report reveals — NYP pic.twitter.com/CjRspQCGxB
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) December 5, 2024
5 Comments
I don’t know whether working from home is more cost efficient than working in a DC office. But I know one thing for sure the DC swamp wastes mountains of taxpayer money. If government employees working from home saves taxpayers money I’m all for it but if they do work from home then the government office buildings should be shut down and sold or rented to private companies. If working from home isn’t cost effective then get the employees butts in their DC office chairs.
Large scale Government Nepotism, ya know the old adage you get in with the right people and get a tit job where you basically do nothing of any value and get paid damn good money by being a part of the inner circle!
This like lower level cronyism like Hunter got on the huge scale working in the Ukraine Burisma deal sitting on a Board of Company Executives in a field he knew nothing about and didn’t even do anything but made a $Mil a year; all because his criminal daddy worked a deal behind closed doors for the Crooked Ukraine Officials!
Trump if they don’t show up to work fire every single one of them. Biden is a Asshole he doesn’t have the authority to keep people home work.
I have a friend who is a government worker working from home. What a joke two days a week we play golf and usually will rid motorcycle one day a week and he laughs at me and says he’s getting paid for this time. Even though he a friend I am pissed because that’s my taxpayer dollars are being used this way. Don’t think he really works 15 hours a week. Biden f-cked this country so bad nobody really works anymore. FJB & Harris and democrats
Horrific, the amount of malfeasance, corruption and thievery if these thugs actually went to work!
How many invisible or dead names are getting a check every week. What’s a name with no face tied to it how many people claimed sick time or vacation time when working from home so much government fraud. And of course Biden loves fraud so dumbass will sign anything. Trump is going to squash Biden and his asshole democrats administration wonder how many will be going to prison.
Jail is a joke but prison on the other hand is the real deal no favoritism there.