U.S. Representative Jody Hice (R-GA-10) pushed back this week against a proposal from President Joe Biden to allow federal employees to work remotely.
The congressman said the plan will shortchange the American people.
Hice, the Republican member of the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations, made his remarks last week.
“When we talk about the future of the federal workforce these days it has really become a code for talking about expanding telework and remote work arrangements among federal employees, in my opinion, with very little thought regarding how that might impact the American people and other serious concerns. We all know that circumstances surrounding COVID made some changes in our arrangements and how we do work,” Hice said at Wednesday’s hearing.
“The rest of the world has returned to work for the most part while the federal government was very slow to do so and frankly continues to be slow. In many instances, it is the federal government that ought to be taking the lead. In this instance and others, the federal government certainly did not do that. Now the Biden administration has made it clear that it wants expanded telework and remote work to become a permanent part of the federal landscape.”
Hice said that the Social Security Administration’s lack of in-person service during the COVID-19 pandemic created problems and a sharp decline in benefit awards.
“Above and beyond that, there are also real national security problems that have emerged. The Department of Defense Inspector General, for example, found that DOD components that failed to provide sufficient work-network capacity found problems with communication tools. They found equipment lacking to support increased telework,” Hice said.
“The IG [Inspector General] reported that some teleworking personnel turned to unauthorized video conferencing applications and personal equipment. As a result, there was increased risk of exposing sensitive DOD information that could impact both the mission of the DOD as well as our national security.”
Hice said in November that President Joe Biden does not govern like someone who intends to run for reelection in 2024.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
