Staff Reports
Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), after reading an astonishing government study, voiced shock and alarm at what she called the Biden administration's "green hypocrisy." The administration appears to have ignored a key eco-inconsistency: the majority of federal employees continue to work remotely, which means that empty federal buildings continue to consume taxpayer funds, despite their stated dedication to environmental sustainability.
Less than half of the office space occupied by federal departments was revealed in a document from the Government Accountability Office, which Senator Ernst—known for her no-nonsense style—called attention to. Occupancy rates often fell below thirty percent, which is like paying for a palace but living in a closet, as one revealed.
.@USDOT earned a spot on my Naughty List of No-Shows for only using 14% of their office space.
No wonder @SecretaryPete has failed to end holiday travel delays, he can’t even make employees show up to work!
Let's #DeckTheHalls with federal workers or sell off this unused space. https://t.co/cIrkyHjIsn
— Joni Ernst (@SenJoniErnst) December 6, 2023
In an interview with Fox News, Senator Ernst was blunt, saying, "Imagine all those fossil fuels being emitted to heat and cool a mostly vacant building at the EPA and the Department of Energy, which are just 17% and 25% occupied, respectively. I don't think that sounds very green! I think all of the Biden administration's climate czars should concur: it's time to give up the taxpayer-funded buildings that aren't being used for heating and cooling."
Senator Ernst's introduction of her own "naughty list of no-shows," which singled out federal agencies with little to no in-person work, heightened the uproar. Just 7% of employees at the Social Security Administration and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, for example, worked in person.
Other government agencies with occupancy rates of 25% or less on the list included the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Education, and even NASA. These agencies appear to be abusing remote work, even as the rest of America returns to normal operations.
Sen. Ernst took to social media to voice her worries over the Department of Transportation's meager 14% office space usage. She blamed Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for the delays in travel around the holidays. The senator emphasized that federal workers must stand out for the interests of taxpayers, veterans, and the elderly who rely on their assistance.
Senator Ernst voiced her dissatisfaction on the Senate floor, saying that rather than relying on remote settings, the "burrowed bureaucrats" in Washington needed to rise to the occasion and report for duty. She emphasized how crucial it is to keep President Biden's 2022 State of the Union address pledge that the "vast majority of federal workers will once again work in person."
To sum up, Senator Ernst has drawn attention to what she sees as the federal government's wasteful and hypocritical tactics concealed by "green" policies, highlighting the necessity of accountability and a return to in-person labor for the good of taxpayers and vital services.
