[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
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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.