Ernst trashes Biden administration after memo reveals most federal employees still work remotely

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) accused the Biden administration of “green hypocrisy” over its energy policies on Thursday after a government report revealed that the majority of federal employees are still working remotely.

Ernst shared a memo from the Government Accountability Office this week, which revealed that the top 24 federal departments used less than half of their office space, and most of those agencies are using less than 30%. Ernst had requested the report earlier this year over concerns that the government was wasting taxpayer money by cooling and heating empty federal buildings.

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“The Biden administration’s green hypocrisy continues to show,” Ernst told Fox News. “At only 17% occupancy at the EPA and 25% at the Department of Energy, imagine all those fossil fuels being emitted to heat and cool a largely empty building. Doesn’t sound very green to me! All the climate czars in the Biden administration should agree with me — it’s time to forfeit the unused buildings heated and cooled on the taxpayer’s dime.”

Ernst used the report to compile a “naughty list” this week, which included a list of all the departments with low occupancy rates. At the top of the list were the Social Security Administration‘s headquarters in Baltimore and the Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C., which only have 7% of their employees working in person, according to the report.

Stephanie Scarbrough/AP

Other federal offices on the list were the Agriculture Department, the Agency for International Development, Education Department, Health and Human Services Department, Labor Department, Department of Transportation, Veterans Affairs Department, General Affairs Administration, NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the Office of Personnel Management, which all have occupancy rates of 25% or lower.

“[The Department of Transportation] earned a spot on my Naughty List of No-Shows for only using 14% of their office space,” Ernst posted to X on Wednesday. “No wonder [Transportation] Secretary Pete [Buttigieg] has failed to end holiday travel delays, he can’t even make employees show up to work! Let’s #DeckTheHalls with federal workers or sell off this unused space.”

The comments come after Ernst requested an investigation into the federal agencies in September due to the administration’s work-from-home policies, which stem from the COVID-19 pandemic, allegedly causing long delays in responding to the public.

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“Frustrated Americans are being put on hold while too many federal employees are phoning it in,” Ernst said on the Senate floor. “Seventy-five percent or more of the office space at the headquarters of most of our federal agencies is not being used. The vacant offices beg the question: Where are all of the federal employees? Most of America is back to work, and it’s time for burrowed bureaucrats in Washington to answer the call of duty on behalf of taxpayers, veterans, seniors, and our great nation.”

The new report also reveals a promise President Joe Biden has failed to deliver on when he vowed “the vast majority of federal workers will once again work in person” during the 2022 State of the Union address.