Republican Sen. Joni Ernst is demanding an investigation into every Cabinet secretary’s work-from-home schedule after Biden’s Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin’s secret hospital admission raised questions about the government’s work-from-home policy.
The defense minister was released from hospital on Monday after 15 days of recovery following surgery for prostate cancer on December 22.
After being hospitalized for complications on January 1, he did not tell President Biden where he was until three days later.
It also came to light that the president was unaware that Austin was under general anesthesia during the first surgery and that Austin’s staff believed he was simply working from home the week of the procedure.
Now Ernst is raising questions about the frequency with which Cabinet heads are working from home after Austin was “AWOL” for days.
She wrote a letter to OMB Director Shalanda Young on Tuesday, first obtained by DailyMail.com, asking about the “frequency” of Austin’s work-from-home schedule.
“Does Secretary Austin work from home so much that he can disappear into the hospital for an entire week to undergo invasive surgery, and people just think he’s working from home again?” she asked.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was seen during a Zoom meeting – his first public appearance since his secret hospitalization
The senator demands that “every agency and department head” publish its schedule online
‘When department secretaries work from home, do they react as nonchalantly as someone under general anesthesia?’ continued Ernst.
The senator demands that “every agency and department head” publish its schedule online.
She also says the government needs to “redouble” efforts to get federal workers back into the office.
“That should include agency leadership,” Ernst added in the letter to Young.
OMB wrote to all agencies in April 2023 saying the “expectation” is that they would increase in-person work in federal offices.
“Now, nine months later, most authorities still haven’t listened,” Ernst accused.
Last week, Biden’s chief of staff Jeffrey Zients reportedly ordered cabinet heads to ensure their staff return to the office this year.
According to a memo obtained by Axios, he wrote that federal employees must spend at least 50 percent of their work hours in the office to “achieve” the administration’s goals.
The memo comes weeks after a bombshell report found all federal agencies at less than 50 percent capacity — wasting billions in taxpayer dollars — more than a year after President Biden declared the COVID-19 pandemic over.
According to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) memo obtained by DailyMail.com, no federal agency has more than half of its staff in the office.
That’s a staggering statistic, considering federal agencies spend about $2 billion annually in taxpayer dollars to operate and maintain federal office buildings — and more than $5 billion annually on leases.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was seen Tuesday for the first time since his secret hospitalization for complications from his prostate cancer surgery.
Austin, 70, appeared virtually and from home at a meeting on Ukraine’s military needs during a Zoom call with stakeholders.
He looked gaunt as he sat in front of a white wall with what looked like a security system keypad to his left and a Department of Defense seal to his right. Small flags of the US and Ukraine were visible.
According to Reuters, the defense minister skipped prepared remarks that would have discussed his health.
“I urge this group to dig deep to provide Ukraine with more life-saving air defense systems and ground-based interceptors,” Austin said in his opening statement.
Biden supported his defense secretary, but warned him against an error of judgment
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin took part in a Zoom meeting on Ukraine
Austin’s call for 50 other countries to give money to Ukraine came as the administration waits for Congress to pass a budget and possibly approve more money for Ukraine’s struggle.
Until then, the US looks to its allies to continue the funding battle.
Austin’s complications included “nausea with severe abdominal, leg and hip pain.” The early diagnosis was a urinary tract infection, but further testing showed that Austin had a fluid buildup in his abdomen that was impairing the function of his small intestine.
Both Democrats and Republicans condemned Austin for the secrecy. Some called for his resignation.
Biden supported his defense secretary, but warned him against an error of judgment.
The White House is investigating the matter. Chief of Staff Jeffrey Zients sent a memo to Cabinet secretaries, instructing them to keep the White House informed if they might be unable to perform their duties.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, 70, was hospitalized on January 1 and released on January 15. This most recent photo shows him on December 20
Secretary Austin was treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
The Pentagon’s inspector general is also investigating the mishandling of Austin’s secret hospitalization.
Every year, eight in ten men and six in ten black men are diagnosed with prostate cancer. The risk for men increases as they get older. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is the most common cancer among men in the United States.
The five-year relative survival rate for prostate cancer in the United States is 97%.
Austin will work from home as his recovery continues.
He will need to do physical therapy and regular follow-ups, but he is expected to make a full recovery, his doctors said. He does not require any further treatment for his cancer.
“I am grateful for the excellent care I received at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and would like to thank the excellent physicians and nursing staff for their professionalism and excellent support,” Austin said in a statement.
“As I continue to recover and perform my duties from home, I am eager to make a full recovery and return to the Pentagon as soon as possible,” he said.