Staff Reports
Senator Joni Ernst has taken a bold stand against the Environmental Protection Agency, clamoring for urgent action to prevent a crisis akin to Flint’s water disaster from erupting within federal buildings. Pointing fingers at the agency’s newfound obsession with climate change policies and allowing bureaucratic teleworking to run rampant, Ernst highlights a brewing situation where unsafe drinking water is becoming more common across several federal facilities.
In a recent missive to EPA Administrator Michael Regan, Ernst referenced alarming reports from the General Services Administration Office of Inspector General. These findings reveal that numerous federal buildings, including those housing employee childcare centers, have been found with dangerously contaminated water. The senator laid the blame squarely on the bureaucratic abandonment that began during the COVID-19 pandemic, during which, as she notes, water stagnated and turned toxic from lead, copper, and Legionella due to the lack of human activity. A situation that could easily be prevented if bureaucrats decided to return to their posts instead of hiding behind their screens.
The senator didn’t pull any punches, slapping the EPA with this month’s “Squeal Award,” an initiative meant to spotlight reckless financial behaviors in D.C. In her announcement for this dubious honor, she chastised the current administration for failing to take the issue seriously and insisted on the need to “get the lead out, literally.” With conditions at government facilities less safe than those in Flint, it’s no wonder Ernst feels compelled to sound the alarm.
Reports dating back to September 2022 and extending to this year brought alarming results. Notably, one-quarter of federal locations tested were found to have excessive levels of Legionella bacteria. In one shocking case from an employee childcare center in Seattle, lead levels reached nearly 14 times what the EPA considers acceptable. Yet, despite these warnings, the childcare center continued to operate, all while toxic water had lingered for years without intervention.
Washington Examiner: Ernst demands answers from EPA on unsafe federal drinking water due to telework https://t.co/DxCbnQbfue
— Ian’s Newsfeed 🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@IanHNewsFeed) August 28, 2024
Ernst’s battle cry resonates deeply: the prospect of a second Flint crisis unfolding within federal office walls is something that cannot be tolerated. She is demanding that the EPA step in with emergency orders to safeguard both civil servants and the children at daycare facilities. Federal employees must return to the office, she insists, to prioritize public health over radical policy agendas and bureaucratic dithering.
In light of these revelations, it’s clear the agency’s fixation on implementing the Green New Deal and engaging in legal battles to seize an overwhelming share of Iowa land has led them to neglect essential responsibilities like ensuring clean drinking water for families and employees. The senator’s ongoing examination of telework reveals a trend where federal employees relocate to lower-paying regions while still pocketing high salaries. With demands for accountability echoing sharper than ever, Ernst has clearly positioned herself as a watchdog in the fight to keep government agencies focused on their core mission: protecting the health and safety of American citizens.
