House Republicans press federal agencies for docs on telework, remote work policies

Three House lawmakers are seeking information from federal agencies related to their remote and telework policies as such practices become increasingly common in the larger workforce.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., along with Republican Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert and Republican Texas Rep. Pete Sessions, originally asked that federal agencies provide such information on May 18, but are now renewing their request amid concerns the agencies are "intentionally withholding" the information from Congress.

"Central to this issue is the concern that agencies—and certainly the Office of Personnel Management—do not know how many employees are teleworking or working remotely, or how often they do so," they wrote to various agency chiefs. "A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) study on federal building occupancy suggests that in some components of federal agencies, the vast majority of employees are not coming to the office on a regular basis. Indeed, some agency headquarters reported occupancy rates as low as nine percent."

"One of two options is currently playing out: either federal agencies are withholding information from Congress or federal agencies are not tracking telework and remote work policies as required by the law," the trio said in a press release. "Both possibilities are deeply concerning."

"The American people show up to work every day and federal agencies should follow their example," they continued. "Committee Republicans remain steadfast in our pursuit of answers and if federal agencies continue to withhold this information, we will resort to compulsory measures."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.