Senator Joni Ernst’s latest report shines a glaring spotlight on what she describes as a “ghost town” federal workforce, with only 6% of federal employees reporting to work in person full-time.
The report, built on a year-and-a-half investigation by Ernst’s office, exposes startling inefficiencies and questionable practices in government operations. Released ahead of Ernst’s Capitol meeting with Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leaders Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the findings have triggered renewed calls for accountability and reform.
The shift to remote work, accelerated during the pandemic, has left federal offices nearly empty.
With 12% average occupancy in government buildings and roughly a third of federal employees working remotely full-time, Ernst’s report questions how taxpayers benefit from a system where “almost no one” is physically present at their desks. Musk weighed in on X, claiming that if security and maintenance staff were excluded, the figure would drop to a mere 1% working in person.
If you exclude security guards & maintenance personnel, the number of government workers who show up in person and do 40 hours of work a week is closer to 1%!
Almost no one. https://t.co/4IGzbLqP3R
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 5, 2024
House Speaker Mike Johnson echoed Ernst’s concerns, labeling the situation “absurd” and pledging to demand a return to in-person work in the new administration. Ernst took aim at President Biden, citing his frequent absences from the White House as emblematic of a broader lack of leadership, noting he has spent 40% of his presidency away from the Oval Office.
The financial toll of underutilized federal office space is staggering. Ernst’s report revealed $15.7 billion in annual costs for leasing and maintaining buildings, including thousands that sit vacant or are only partially used.
Meanwhile, some federal employees take advantage of locality pay—a system that adjusts salaries based on the cost of living in their designated worksite areas—despite working remotely from far cheaper locations. Ernst’s audit found discrepancies affecting up to 68% of teleworkers in some agencies.
This inefficiency extends beyond finances. Ernst highlighted troubling examples of incompetence, including a whistleblower report at the FDA warning of bacteria in baby formula that went unread for months, contributing to a national shortage in 2022. Another case involved a VA manager who famously posted a photo of himself “working” from a bubble bath.
Ernst placed part of the blame on federal employee unions for resisting attempts to increase in-person work. Union leaders have insisted that telework agreements remain in place, even as the Biden administration called for “meaningful” in-person work last year.
National Treasury Employees Union president Tony Reardon dismissed the administration’s guidance, asserting that collective bargaining agreements take precedence.
