Staff Reports
Prominently addressing the widespread misuses of telework, Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst effectively secured the passage of an amendment within the United States Senate. The amendment places particular emphasis on personnel within the federal government, with a particular scrutiny directed at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Ernst was especially enraged upon discovering that a VA employee had the audacity to attend a staff meeting while enjoying a luxurious Jacuzzi bath. Indeed, we are multitasking!
Senate Passes Joni Ernst Amendment Cracking Down On Federal Employees Abusing Teleworkhttps://t.co/I58RvQtayr
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) November 1, 2023
Federal agencies receiving funding under the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act will be obligated to furnish a comprehensive report regarding their telecommuting personnel, as per the provisions of this novel amendment. Moreover, measures must be implemented to guarantee adequate supervision of remote labor. Ernst, a retired lieutenant colonel, conveyed her profound dismay regarding the manner in which bureaucrats are enjoying bubble baths while veterans are placed on pause. It is revolting!
Ernst, in her fervent discourse on the Senate floor, emphasized the alarming reality that the VA received tens of thousands of unanswered calls requesting mental health services over the course of the previous year. You did indeed hear that correctly. Calls that go unanswered at the Atlanta VA alone! She related the experience of a veteran who, in a state of mental health crisis and in dire need of assistance, dialed ten times in a span of three months without receiving the care she so urgently required. EXTREMELY disgraceful.
Further exacerbating the situation was the revelation in a recent report by the Government Accountability Office that an enormous 75% of office space was not being utilized. This raises the subsequent inquiry: Where are all of these federal employees? The locations of more than 281,000 employees were redacted by the Biden administration, which only served to exacerbate the situation. Comparable to a game of hide-and-seek, but involving administrators. In that case, Senator Ernst asserts, "Biden's game is up!" Her demand for accountability and transparency compels the Biden Administration to disclose the whereabouts of each bureaucrat employed by the VA and other departments that receive funding under the bill.
However, that is not all! Additionally, the amendment mandates that taxpayers be apprised of the ecological and financial repercussions associated with the upkeep of vacant offices. The time has come to illuminate the effects that remote work is having on the care of veterans and the response times of other government services.
The unanimous approval of this amendment by the Senate is a positive development in the effort to curb these telework violations and remind bureaucrats that their primary responsibility is to serve the American people, not to indulge in personal gratification. Outstanding, Senator Ernst!
