GOP senators expand probe into Biden admin's telecommuting problem costing taxpayers millions a year

Two Republican senators expanded their investigation into the effects of telecommuting at government agencies in a letter Wednesday obtained exclusively by the Daily Caller News Foundation, seeking information about offices outside Washington, D.C., after learning that one agency is spending $224 million of dollars a year in almost…empty headquarters in the DC area.

Ernst and Cruz spurred on an investigation into remote work practices by the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Office of Inspector General (OIG) in July after questioning the office on complaints from multi-agency whistleblowers involving violations of office work requirements, fraud and waste. In a letter sent Wednesday, Ernst and Cruz called on the GAO to investigate the use of hundreds of buildings owned or leased by the Department of Transportation, citing the massive cost just for the agency's headquarters in Washington, DC.

“The GAO report revealed that DOT headquarters buildings were used at about 14 percent of their capacity by early 2023. However, the study did not include the rest of the buildings in DOT offices, nor those occupied by the DOT's nine operating administrations, which represent hundreds of leased buildings and owned office buildings of more than 10 million square feet, costing the taxpayer about 224 million dollars annually to occupy, operate and maintain, plus significant environmental and opportunity costs,” wrote Ernst and Cruz. “Because of these high costs, it is critical that DOT only occupy the space it uses.”

Linking channels with a remote control is not the same as working remotely.

It's time to get the Washington bureaucrats off the couch and back into the office.

Our taxpayers deserve better. pic.twitter.com/IfEJHCGYRT

— Joni Ernst (@SenJoniErnst) September 7, 2023

A memo from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released by Senator Ernst in December revealed that 24 agencies used less than 50% of their office space.

Ernst and Cruz also requested probes into the GAO's use of the building for other agencies, including the Commerce Department, and took particular aim at comments from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Rebecca Slaughter during a September 2023. nomination hearing for a second term.

“As of June 20, 2023, of the agency's 'regular duty staff,' 60 percent reported for work one day a week. Another 20 percent reported for work two days a per week. This suggests comparable problems of underutilization of the building at the FTC,” wrote Ernst and Cruz.

“When Commissioner Slaughter appeared before the Senate Commerce Committee last September, she made it clear that she didn't care about the issue, saying whether FTC employees come into the office 'isn't particularly important to me.'” , Ernst and Cruz continued. “However, it is important to the American people whose taxes pay for the empty offices.”

Ernst introduced the Act to Stop the Unproductive Problems of Home Office Work (SHOW UP)., on Sept. 13 as part of a package of legislation to curb the “administrative state.” He expressed concern that the effects of telecommuting have been underestimated.

The numbers don't lie and we have the whistleblower to prove it: Biden's @USDA it is a ghost town due to four years of tele-“work” policies.

Bureaucrats need to start showing up for work or we need to sell the unused space. pic.twitter.com/nUpNswG4LS

— Joni Ernst (@SenJoniErnst) February 28, 2024

“I fear that my previous report, which revealed that only 14 percent of the Department of Transportation headquarters is being used, is the tip of the iceberg for federal employees who abuse telecommuting,” Ernst told the DCNF. “While COVID may be over, there is a roaring pandemic of bureaucrats not showing up for work. Before taxpayers cut a quarter billion dollar check for office space, we need to figure out if there really is someone to turn on the lights.”

“As the ranking member of the Commerce Committee, I have long shared my frustration that federal agencies allow employees to cash their taxpayer-funded paychecks without reporting to work,” Cruz said in the DCNF.. “Now, GAO has revealed that taxpayers are footing a $224 million-a-year bill for the Department of Transportation headquarters, which was only using about 14 percent of its building capacity by early 2023. I'm working with Senator Joni Ernst to uncover the full extent of how much the DOT, along with the Commerce Department and Federal Trade Commission, is spending on mostly empty buildings across the country. It is imperative that taxpayers don't foot the bill for unused space and that bureaucrats show up to work for the American people.”

The Commerce Department and the Federal Trade Commission did not immediately respond to DCNF's requests for comment.

“In reauthorizing the FAA, Congress directed the Secretary to conduct a nationwide inventory and review of DOT's national office footprint, which proposes opportunities for DOT to optimize office space by identifying the 'available, unused or under-utilised space,' said a spokesman for the Department for Transport. he told the DCNF when reached for comment. “We are preparing to begin this nationwide review, which will look at all office space in all Operating Administrations across the country, except for FAA airport traffic control facilities. DOT will look for ways to optimize our office footprint, including consolidating offices within reasonable distance and co-locating regional or OA field offices.”

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