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A report from Senator Joni Ernst‘s (R-IA) office reveals that only six percent of federal employees work in person full-time, with nearly one-third working entirely remotely. This marks a significant change from pre-pandemic conditions, when a mere three percent teleworked daily.

“The nation’s capital is a ghost town, with government buildings averaging an occupancy rate of 12 percent,” the Iowa Republican wrote in the report, noting: “If federal employees can’t be found at their desks, exactly where are they?”

“When I was making the biscuits at Hardee’s, I clocked in every morning. At the end of my shift, I clocked out. If I didn’t show up, the biscuits wouldn’t be made, and I wouldn’t be paid. Plain and simple. There is no such accountability today for the federal workforce,” Ernst says. Iowa Senator said that “[o]ver half of federal employees are telework-eligible, and nearly 90 percent of those are teleworking. But no one is checking to make sure everyone made it to work or even logged on to their computer. Backlogs for services are typical and accountability is rare.”

A JOB FOR DOGE?

Concerned about the increase in remote work among federal employees and lack of productivity, Ernst says she plans to discuss the matter with Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leaders Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy during their Capitol visit on Thursday. Ernst also criticized President Joe Biden’s days spent away from the White House, suggesting his actions set a precedent. President Biden’s travel and time away from the White House tallies at 532 days over the last three and a half years.

Collaboration with Open the Books helped Ernst’s office uncover the redaction of over 281,000 federal employees’ work locations by the Biden-Harris government. This report indicates annual costs of $15.7 billion for leasing and maintaining federal buildings, with an additional $15 million for vacant and partially empty properties.

A D.C. GHOST TOWN. 

According to the investigation, no federal agency occupies more than half of its office space. Ernst expressed taxpayers’ concerns over inefficiencies in government services, citing examples like a whistleblower’s warning of bacteria in baby formula left unread by the FDA.

Ernst reported anomalies in locality pay, with some federal teleworkers receiving inappropriate pay increases. Approximately 25 percent of daily teleworkers reside over 50 miles from their workplace. Despite Biden’s call to increase in-person attendance, union agreements have maintained broad teleworking privileges.

Image by Ted Eytan.


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A report from Senator Joni Ernst‘s (R-IA) office reveals that only six percent of federal employees work in person full-time, with nearly one-third working entirely remotely. This marks a significant change from pre-pandemic conditions, when a mere three percent teleworked daily.

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