GOP Senator Joni Ernst is spearheading a campaign to rein in the enormous federal bureaucracy and require federal workers to return to their offices. Over the past two years, billions of taxpayer dollars have been wasted due to unused office space and employees taking advantage of liberal work-from-home policies. To address this issue, Ernst is introducing a comprehensive reform package that includes multiple bills aimed at keeping the administrative state in check.
In an interview with DailyMail.com, Ernst stated, “Biden’s bureaucrats are burdening households, family farms, and small businesses with arbitrary rules. I am committed to draining the swamp and reining in the unchecked administrative state that is costing taxpayers dearly. Bureaucrats need a reminder of who they serve. That’s why I am working to expand the government beyond the beltway bubble, eliminate unnecessary regulations, and hold unelected bureaucrats accountable.”
As the ranking member of the Senate Small Business Committee, Ernst is demanding an open investigation into the Biden administration’s remote work policies. In addition, she has requested the Supreme Court to repeal a decision that has allowed the regulatory state to expand.
Ernst’s reform package includes two key bills: the Strategic Withdrawal of Agencies for Meaningful Placement (SWAMP) Act and the Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome (SCRUB) Act. These bills aim to review federal regulations and relocate federal agency headquarters outside of Washington, D.C.
Furthermore, Ernst is calling out the Government Accountability Office (GAO) for allowing federal employees to maintain high salaries while working remotely from cheaper cities and states. She referred to this as “taxpayer theft” in a recent op-ed. Ernst’s investigation seeks to hold bureaucrats accountable by adjusting their salaries based on their relocation outside of Washington.
The Biden administration recently issued a directive for all federal employees to return to their offices this fall, citing the importance of in-person work for team well-being and delivering better results for the American people. However, Republicans have criticized the lack of transparency regarding the number of federal employees still teleworking and have been stonewalled by the administration’s failure to provide this information.
According to the GAO, more than 75 percent of available office space at 17 federal agencies remains empty. As a result, agencies spend billions of dollars each year on operating and maintaining office buildings. Ernst believes that selling unused office space could help alleviate the national debt.
Ernst highlights instances where federal employees have taken advantage of remote work policies, such as working from bathtubs and engaging in leisure activities, while important services face backlogs. She argues that the impact of telework on an agency’s mission must be evaluated and calls for more oversight to prevent the misuse of taxpayer funds.
This effort to gather information about telework arrangements is not new, as Senator Ron Johnson previously sent similar letters to federal agencies in 2021. Johnson criticized the Biden administration’s lack of transparency and disregard for congressional oversight.
With the official end of the COVID-19 emergency in May, the push for federal employees to return to their offices has intensified. Senator Joni Ernst is at the forefront of this movement, emphasizing the need to rein in the administrative state and ensure accountability in the federal government.
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