Sen. Ernst Calls for Agencies to Halt Negotiations with Unions on New Remote Work Agreements
Cost-reduction advocates targeting excessive government expenditures are now focusing on telecommuting bureaucrats.
“I have been made aware that you and Chief Human Capital Officer [Lori] Michalski are reportedly engaged in talks with federal employee unions at HUD to extend the existing labor agreement related to teleworking” until 2029, Ernst expressed to Acting Deputy HUD Secretary Elizabeth de León Bhargava.
A spokesperson for Bhargava did not reply to The Epoch Times’ inquiry.
“Not surprisingly, individuals with insider knowledge of these negotiations indicate that telework and remote work privileges are a primary focus for the union,” Ernst stated to Bhargava.
“If this is accurate, these claims are severe and put into question your dedication to a smooth transition of power from the Biden administration to the Trump administration.
“Thus, I urge you to stop any discussions, negotiations, or talks with any federal employee union representing HUD workers until the Trump administration is in place.”
Ernst also mentioned to The Epoch Times that she believes Biden officials are attempting “at the last minute” to finalize “another cushy telework agreement with federal workers” that would safeguard their positions throughout a potential second Trump term in the White House.
“Fighting for bureaucrats to avoid their responsibilities in the final days of this administration is fundamentally wrong but fitting for its conclusion. As chair of the Senate DOGE Caucus, I am committed to stopping this nonsense and putting Washington back to work,” Ernst remarked.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the primary union for HUD staff. Holly Salamido, the president of the HUD AFGE chapter, did not provide a comment to The Epoch Times.
Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley testifies before the Senate Committee on the Budget during a hearing in Washington on Sept. 11. Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images
A reduction or elimination of teleworking—conducting official business from a location other than a federal worker’s designated duty station—is a significant objective for President-elect Donald Trump, who has requested entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to form a new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) aimed at eradicating waste, fraud, and abuse within the federal government.
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Telecommuting was a crucial element of the federal government’s strategy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020 and 2021.
Despite this, departments and agencies have continued allowing employees to telecommute with minimal oversight or mechanisms to ensure that the work funded by taxpayers is genuinely being carried out.
“Reports indicate that bureaucrats have been found in bathtubs, on golf courses, operating their own businesses, and even engaging in illegal activities while on the taxpayer’s clock,” the report asserted.
“Members of President [Joe] Biden’s Cabinet have been observed claiming to be working while being out of the office and unreachable.
“Prior to the pandemic, only 3 percent of the federal workforce reported teleworking daily. Presently, 6 percent of the workforce works in-person full-time while nearly one-third operate entirely remotely.
“Most federal employees are eligible for telework and about 90 percent of them participate. Some come to the office only once a week.”
Ernst noted that the Biden administration’s decision to redact the locations of more than 281,000 federal employees has complicated efforts to assess the true extent of teleworking abuses.
Out of 2.2 million career federal employees, the majority are covered under labor agreements negotiated with AFGE and other unions.
Ernst pointed out that many issues have escalated due to teleworking abuses, including delayed responsiveness to taxpayer inquiries, tax return processing delays, and service backlogs that negatively impact businesses, particularly small enterprises that are key to job growth in the nation.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington on July 13. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times
The Senate DOGE Caucus report further indicated that there is significant evidence suggesting that numerous teleworking employees are receiving higher salaries than they would otherwise qualify for by claiming locality pay rates that are more lucrative.
“My audits reveal that between 23 and 68 percent of teleworking employees at various agencies are improperly benefiting from elevated locality pay,” Ernst mentioned in her report.
“Some employees reside over 2,000 miles from their official office, while one ‘temporary’ teleworker has been receiving enhanced locality pay for almost a decade.”
The Senate DOGE Caucus is comprised of Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), and James Lankford (R-Okla.).
In the House, Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) and Rep. Aaron Bean (R-Fla.) serve as co-chairmen of the House DOGE Caucus, which includes an additional 36 Republican representatives.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) became the first House Democrat to join the DOGE caucus, asserting that “streamlining government processes and curbing ineffective government spending should not be a partisan matter.”
