House Oversight Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) called out President Joe Biden for using the pandemic as an expired excuse to expand telework for federal employees permanently. His comments came after the Office of Management and Budget’s newly released statement.
“House Republicans have pressured the Biden Administration to address the issue of prolonged pandemic-era telework and it is finally discussing it,” Comer stated on Friday.
HOUSE VOTES TO REQUIRE FEDERAL EMPLOYEES TO RETURN IN-OFFICE
“However, OMB managed to issue a 19-page memo that shed virtually no light on when federal employees are returning to their offices — or under what conditions continued elevated levels of telework may be warranted.”
Comer brought up his concerns last month at the committee's “Oversight of Our Nation’s Largest Employer: Reviewing the U.S. Office of Personnel Management” hearing. Comer cited complaints about delayed federal services piling up.
“Returning to in-person work means returning to the core mission of each federal agency, which is to serve the needs of the American people,” Comer said in his opening remarks at the March hearing.
Comer sponsored legislation titled the Stopping Home Office Work’s Unproductive Problems (SHOW UP) Act, requiring all federal workers to return in-person to their office space within 30 days of the bill's approval. The bill garnered support mostly from Republicans, but three Democrats, Reps. Josh Harder (D-CA), Susan Wild (D-PA), and Kim Schrier (D-WA), voted in favor of the resolution.
“This legislation is urgent. Federal agencies are falling short on their missions,” Comer said in his remarks to the House on Feb. 1. “They are not carrying out their duties; they are failing the American people”
The bill made its way through the House in February with a 221-206 vote. However, it will likely halt in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
Comer and fellow House Republicans are joined by a handful of lawmakers urging Biden to send federal workers back to in-person work. Proponents of the return to in-person work include D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
“America wins when the place where people come to join and change the world is buzzing. Buzzing with new graduates and interns, with the startup that has the big idea to meet with federal partners or the business travelers who are coming to Washington to get work done,” Bowser said at her inauguration address in January.
Bowser expressed that she plans to get downtown back on track, pushing the federal government to bring workers back to the city. Bowser said D.C. is at risk of economic insecurity due to decreased revenue because many office buildings are vacant and fewer commuters are using the Metro.
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“Since the Biden Administration refuses to discover the number of federal employees teleworking, the Oversight Committee plans to do their work for them,” concluded Comer.
“We will soon contact federal agencies about how many federal workers continue pandemic-era telework. It’s essential the federal workforce get back to the workplace and provide better service to the American people.”