Biden faces new pressure to bring federal workers back to the office
Haisten Willis
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As part of a flurry of first-week activity, prominent Rep. James Comer (R-KY) and four co-sponsors are pressuring the Biden administration over federal employees continuing to work remotely.
Along with four GOP colleagues, Comer introduced the Stopping Home Office Work’s Unproductive Problems, or SHOW UP, Act this week to try and force federal workers to get back to the office.
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“President Biden’s unnecessary expansion of telework crippled the ability of departments and agencies to fulfill their responsibilities and created cumbersome backlogs,” said Comer, who chairs the powerful House Oversight Committee, in a statement. “The federal government exists to serve the American people and these substantial delays for basic services are unacceptable.”
The act would send the federal workforce back to the office within 30 days of passage, then have agencies submit studies saying how telework affected their mission, with no permanent remote positions allowed until formal “telework plans” have been approved.
The bill has four co-sponsors, all Republicans, and is unlikely to pass in the Democratic-controlled Senate. But as a messaging bill, it furthers pressure on the Biden administration to address pandemic-related policies persisting nearly three years after the virus first reached American shores.
“Biden administration officials must lead by example and work in person for the American people,” Comer said.
The White House did not respond to questions from the Washington Examiner about the bill.
Comer’s office says remote work has resulted in problems for constituents getting help from agencies like the Social Security Administration, the IRS, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Just 3% of federal employees teleworked before 2020, according to NPR, a number that swelled to 59% that year. The figure is now 46%, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
Comer’s call also puts him in league with an unlikely ally: Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D).
Bowser last week called for federal employees to either return to the office or give up the real estate for new housing. In Bowser’s case, the idea is more centered on her long-standing affordable housing push but still ratchets up pressure on Biden to address the situation.
“Right now, 25,000 people call downtown home. Here’s our goal: We will add 15,000 residents over the next five years and 87,000 more before it’s all said and done,” Bowser said upon beginning her third term in office. “That’s a bold goal, but the fact is, no matter what we do, it won’t be fast enough without the help of the White House.”
The situation is complicated for Biden.
The president said in September the pandemic is over and in December that “people are back to work.” Yet the White House extended the emergency over the virus just this week, which grants Biden extended powers and provides the legal justification for his $500 billion student debt transfer.
Aside from any health concerns, returning to the office has become an issue for employee unions — a crucial constituency for Biden.
The National Archives reached an agreement in December with the American Federation of Government Employees in which all full-time positions will be eligible for remote work.
With everything else that’s going on in Washington, Democratic strategist Brad Bannon argues the remote work issue is a distraction at best.
“President Biden is much better off addressing issues Americans really care about, like inflation and jobs,” he said. “The GOP House caucus makes itself look foolish by prioritizing its political vendettas while the president does the heavy lifting.”
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The bill comes at a time when many private employers are calling employees back to the office, with Disney and Snapchat parent company Snap telling employees to begin reporting to the office at least four days a week. Whether federal employees join them behind the desk remains to be seen.