The Biden administration admits several “challenges” still exist as sweeping federal work-from-home orders waste billions in taxpayer dollars due to unused office space.
Congress has stepped up scrutiny of government agencies and their telework policies as we mark the months since President Biden formally ended the COVID-19 emergency.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and other lawmakers say billions of taxpayer dollars have been wasted on unused federal office space.
According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), more than 75 percent of available office space across 17 different federal agencies remains vacant. Agencies spend approximately $2 billion per year operating and maintaining federal office buildings and more than $5 billion per year on leases.
According to a letter from the General Services Administration (GSA) to Senator Joni Ernst, first obtained by DailyMail.com, the agency says the use of office space is under scrutiny.
“My office will address GSA’s use of space in our future oversight efforts,” Inspector General Robert Erickson wrote to Ernst in late September.
“For example, we are currently considering an audit to examine whether GSA has appropriately evaluated the needs and use of physical space to account for increased employee telework and remote positions,” Erickson wrote.
The GSA also recognized “challenges” posed by space usage in a new hybrid work model.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and other lawmakers say billions of taxpayer dollars have been wasted based on unused federal office space
A Department of Veterans Affairs worker from Atlanta posted a series of Instagram stories from March from the bathtub with the caption: “My office for the next hour.”
“We also continue to highlight the challenges GSA faces regarding the use of space,” Erickson said.
He pointed to an October 2022 management review that said GSA “faces challenges” in this area due to “uncertainty around client space needs as agencies continue to adapt to a hybrid work environment.”
“It’s time for Biden’s hot tub bureaucrats to get back to work or forfeit their expensive, unused office space,” Ernst said in a statement to DailyMail.com.
“I’m encouraged that Acting Inspector General Erickson agrees with me: the Biden administration allowing federal buildings to remain vacant — at taxpayer expense — is a problem, and the rest of the inspector community- general must follow suit and prioritize this investigation to hold bureaucrats accountable,” she continued.
Ernst has demanded investigations into 24 of the largest federal agencies regarding their “misuse” of remote work.
She noted that the Department of Transportation called any investigation “premature.”
Employees have benefited from the White House’s liberal work-from-home policy in several ways.
Damning reports reveal that government employees have attended meetings while taking a hot tub, still got paid on the golf course, and attended happy hours while on the job. This is happening as the passport backlog continues and veterans have to wait months for appointments with their doctors.
Most recently, employees who work for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) struck a deal with the agency to keep their high salaries even as they work remotely and move to cheaper cities and states.
Biden’s chief of staff Jeff Zients issued a directive ordering all federal employees to return to the office this fall after years of working remotely.
Since the Biden administration allowed federal agencies to greenlight remote work for staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, federal employees have taken advantage of the situation
Headquartered in Washington, DC, GAO has major offices in Seattle, Los Angeles, Boston and Chicago. The agency is the government’s main watchdog that scrutinizes government spending.
In the years since the pandemic, however, workers have maintained their high salaries despite moving to cities with lower costs of living, including Detroit, Michigan, Huntsville, Alabama and Des Moines, Iowa.
Biden’s chief of staff Jeff Zients issued a directive ordering all federal employees to return to the office this fall after years of remote work.
“We are returning to in-person work because it is critical to the well-being of our teams and will enable us to deliver better results for the American people,” Zients said in a letter to all Cabinet heads, adding that it is a “ priority of the president.”
But it’s unclear how many total federal employees will continue to telework — a statistic Republicans have unsuccessfully requested.