[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 143 (Wednesday, September 6, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4222-S4223]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                            Federal Agencies

  Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, while I was home in Iowa this past month, I 
wrapped up my annual River to River tour, where I hear directly from 
Iowans in all 99 counties every single year.
  Our government is designed to be of the people, by the people, and 
for the people; and that is why I am committed to hearing from Iowans 
in every corner of our State and every county. It is my job to bring 
their voices loud and clear to Washington, where I have the honor and 
privilege of representing them in this great body.
  Now that the Senate is back in session, we have lots of unfinished 
business that impacts Iowans' lives, from funding the government to 
renewing the farm bill. It is here in the Nation's Capital that we 
gather to complete this work on behalf of our fellow Americans.
  While the Senate is once again bustling with activity, I see we even 
have a new class of Senate pages representing us, and they are here for 
duty.
  You have reported for duty, right?
  Welcome to all of our new pages. Thank you for your service as well.
  And the halls of Washington's bureaucracies as we look about this 
city, they remain largely empty and hollow; and that, folks, is a top 
issue for Iowa taxpayers and folks across the country.
  Thousands of calls to the Department of Veterans Affairs from 
veterans seeking mental health services are going unanswered. Desperate 
travelers are

[[Page S4223]]

waiting hours on the phone or in line hoping to speak with someone at 
the State Department about passport delays that are causing vacation 
cancelations.
  Our seniors are calling the Social Security Administration and are 
increasingly being greeted with busy messages, waiting longer to speak 
to a representative, or having their calls go unanswered altogether as 
the Agency shifts toward remote work. Frustrated Americans are being 
put on hold while too many Federal employees are phoning it in.
  A manager of a VA medical center responsible for overseeing the 
scheduling of veterans' care appointments actually--get this, folks. 
This is no joke. This is no joke. An overseer for scheduling of 
veterans' care appointments called into a meeting from a bubble bath 
and even posted a selfie of it on social media with the caption ``my 
office for the next hour.''
  Another VA staffer lamented: It is almost as if this employee is 
making a mockery of all veterans. I can sit here in my bathtub and 
relax, and you just have to wait.
  And that is exactly what is happening. The VA is still providing 
misleading wait times to hide the problem, but the heartbreaking 
stories of veterans continuing to go without urgent, medically 
necessary care--sometimes for months--tells the whole story.
  Taxpayers are also picking up the cost of maintaining mostly empty 
buildings in Washington, as 75 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? Only one out of every three bureaucrats is fully back in the 
office--one out of every three--according to a recent Office of 
Personnel Management survey. Some said they never report to a physical 
office.
  The work locations of over 281,000 employees were redacted from data 
provided in response to a Freedom of Information request filed by the 
nonprofit group Open the Books--281,000 employees.
  Well, I have some questions. Who are these folks, and what exactly 
are they doing? Has the Biden administration been bamboozled into 
thinking these bureaucrats are operating out of some secret cave like 
Batman? I am working to find these secret locations, which are more 
likely to turn out to be man caves than bat caves.
  In his 2022 State of the Union Address, President Biden pledged that 
``the vast majority of Federal workers will once again work in 
person.''
  Well, here we are a year and a half later, and the Nation's Capital 
remains a ghost town, and government employee unions are fighting 
efforts to bring bureaucrats back.
  Folks, I am all for moving Federal Agencies out of Washington. That 
is exactly what my bill, the SWAMP Act, would do. The intent is to make 
those creating the rules more accountable to the hard-working Iowans 
and Americans who have to live under them. But letting Federal 
employees work when and where and even if they want to is having the 
exact opposite effect.
  Consider, as many as 30 percent of Department of Health and Human 
Services remote employees did not appear to be working on any given day 
during the pandemic. And, again, these are Health and Human Services 
remote employees. During a pandemic, you would think they would be 
working. They did not appear to be working, according to an internal 
review of employee logins to the Agency's email and file systems. So 
hello, Federal employees, we actually can see when you are working and 
when you are not.

  Folks, remote work should not be confused with flipping through 
channels with a TV remote. This, folks, is not remote work.
  Growing up on a farm, I know what working from home really means. And 
it ain't easy. It is not fair to let the responsibilities of running a 
Federal Agency--and the country--fall on the shoulders of hard-working 
public servants who are showing up while others are out golfing on the 
taxpayers' dime.
  That is why I have asked the inspector general of every single 
Federal Department and Agency to determine, first, the impact of 
telework on the delivery and response times of services and, second, 
how much taxpayer money could be saved by consolidating unused office 
space and adjusting government salaries for those who have relocated 
and chosen to remain out of the office.
  Most of America is back to work, and it is time for burrowed 
bureaucrats in Washington to answer the call of duty on behalf of 
taxpayers, veterans, seniors, and our great Nation.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Cortez Masto). The Senator from Iowa.