{"id":2015294,"date":"2023-08-29T10:58:02","date_gmt":"2023-08-29T14:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-bureaucrats-abuse-of-work-from-home-protocols-costs-you-service-and-joni-ernst-is-calling-foul\/"},"modified":"2023-08-29T11:00:28","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T15:00:28","slug":"federal-bureaucrats-abuse-of-work-from-home-protocols-costs-you-service-and-joni-ernst-is-calling-foul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-bureaucrats-abuse-of-work-from-home-protocols-costs-you-service-and-joni-ernst-is-calling-foul\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal bureaucrats&#8217; misuse of remote work policies hampers service, prompting Joni Ernst to raise concerns."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffederal-bureaucrats-abuse-of-work-from-home-protocols-costs-you-service-and-joni-ernst-is-calling-foul%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2015294&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<figure>\n      <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Are federal work-from-home programs more costly \u200cthan they\u2063 appear?\u200b Joni Ernst wants\u2063 answers.<\/h2>\n<p>The Iowa senator is demanding federal investigators probe the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chicago-teachers-union-approves-tentative-deal-students-to-return-to-classrooms\/\" title=\"Chicago Teachers Union Approves Tentative Deal, Students To Return To Classrooms\">remote work<\/a> protocols\u2064 that some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-releases-list-of-president-trumps-accomplishments-and-it-is-historic\/\" title=\"White House Releases List of President Trump\u2019s Accomplishments \u2013  And It Is Historic!\">federal employees<\/a> have\u2064 abused\u2063 to check out of\u2064 work while on the taxpayer\u2019s dime.\u2063 On Tuesday, the Midwestern lawmaker sent letters to\u200c inspector generals\u2063 at each federal agency demanding\u200c they examine the efficiency of \u200btelework arrangements that remain\u2063 widespread\u200c following the initial outbreak of the\u200d novel Wuhan coronavirus.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRemote work provides federal \u200cagencies with an opportunity to\u2062 reduce costs for \u2062taxpayers and \u200dincrease the ability to recruit and\u2063 retain talent\u2062 for \u2063public service,\u201d Ernst wrote. \u201cHowever, such\u200d arrangements only work for taxpayers when telework does not (1) harm the agencies\u2019\u2062 ability to\u200b achieve their mission,\u200c (2) adversely impact\u2064 the timely delivery of quality services, or (3) impede or impair the management \u2063of the federal workforce and taxpayer money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ernst presented\u200d her monthly\u200d \u201cSqueal Award\u201d \u200bhighlighting wasteful government spending to federal employees \u200bwho<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-bureaucrats-abuse-of-work-from-home-protocols-costs-you-service-and-joni-ernst-is-calling-foul\/\" title=\"Federal bureaucrats' misuse of remote work policies hampers service, prompting Joni Ernst to raise concerns.\">\u2019ve \u200cmisused remote work opportunities<\/a> \u2062at the\u2062 expense of taxpayers.<\/p>\n<p>In a press release, Ernst\u2064 cited long wait \u200ctimes at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and \u200cpassport delays at the Department\u2064 of State. The\u200d Social Security Administration is also <a href=\"https:\/\/oig.ssa.gov\/assets\/uploads\/a-05-22-51149.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">struggling<\/a> to\u2062 properly function as the agency transitions to\u200b remote work.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrustrated Americans\u2064 are being put on \u200dhold while too many federal employees are\u200b phoning it\u2064 in,\u201d\u200b Ernst said.<\/p>\n<p>One employee\u2064 at the VA even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsbtv.com\/news\/local\/atlanta\/atlanta-va-employee-posts-photo-him-working-bubble-bath-sparking-outrage\/ESKIQBN6MVCODHGANVBBZVPONY\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">called<\/a> \u2063into a meeting from a bubble bath\u2063 and bragged \u2064about it with a post on \u2064social\u2062 media.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy office for \u2063the next h[ou]r,\u201d \u200dread the caption accompanying \u2063a photo\u200d of the man\u2019s government-issued laptop on the ledge of\u200b a tub.<\/p>\n<p>The senator\u2019s Squeal\u2064 Award cited a\u2062 fall <a href=\"https:\/\/www.federaltimes.com\/fedlife\/career\/2022\/10\/20\/one-in-3-federal-employees-fully-back-in-office-survey-finds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> \u2062from the \u2064Office of \u2064Personnel Management showing just 1 in 3 federal employees has returned to the \u200b<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/poll-86-of-workers-dont-want-to-return-to-office-full-time\/\" title=\"POLL: 86% Of Workers Don\u2019t Want To Return To Office Full-Time\">office full-time<\/a>.\u200b Ernst used \u200dthe \u2062award to promote her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/118th-congress\/senate-bill\/2612\/titles?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22%22%5D%7D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bill<\/a>, the Strategic\u2064 Withdrawal of Agencies for Meaningful\u2064 Placement (SWAMP)\u2062 Act of 2023, to \u2064move bureaucrats outside of Washington.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe intent of\u200c my \u2062bill is to make those creating the rules more accountable to the folks who have to live under \u2064them,\u201d Ernst \u200bsaid. \u201cLetting \u2062federal employees work when, where, and even if they want \u200bto, however, \u200bis having \u200bthe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/taking-woke-education-to-court\/\" title=\"Taking Woke Education To Court\">exact opposite effect<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While\u200c the bill currently has no co-sponsors, \u200dMissouri Sen. Josh Hawley and Tennessee \u2062Sen. Marsha \u200dBlackburn have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawley.senate.gov\/senators-hawley-and-blackburn-introduce-legislation-move-most-federal-agencies-out-dc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">previously proposed<\/a> similar legislation to decentralize \u200dthe federal bureaucracy.<\/p>\n<p>Ernst\u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/06\/29\/after-ordering-agencies-to-track-emissions-biden-admin-doesnt-know-how-much-fossil-fuel-its-un-climate-trips-burned\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">presented<\/a> last month\u2019s Squeal Award to White House Climate Envoy John Kerry for taking\u200b fossil-fueled trips to\u200b lecture the rest\u2064 of the world on\u200c climate.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>Tristan Justice is the \u200cwestern correspondent for The Federalist and the author\u2062 of Social Justice Redux, a\u2062 conservative\u200d newsletter on culture, \u200dhealth, and wellness. He has also written for The Washington Examiner and The Daily Signal. His work has also been featured in Real Clear Politics and Fox News. Tristan graduated from \u200bGeorge Washington\u200d University\u2063 where he majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow him on Twitter at @JusticeTristan\u200d or contact\u2064 him at Tristan@thefederalist.com. Sign \u200cup for Tristan&#8217;s email newsletter <a href=\"https:\/\/socialjusticeredux.substack.com\/about\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-image data-amount=\"5\">\n<h2>Popular<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\"><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Iowa Senator Joni Ernst is questioning the true cost of federal work-from-home programs. She has called for federal investigators to examine the remote work protocols that certain employees have exploited, allowing them to avoid work while being paid by taxpayers. Ernst has sent letters to inspector generals at all federal agencies to address this issue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":494,"featured_media":2015295,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2015294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2015294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/494"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2015294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2015294\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2015295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2015294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2015294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2015294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}