[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 61 (Wednesday, April 10, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2679-S2680]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                            Federal Agencies

  Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, despite President Biden begging bureaucrats 
to return to work, government buildings remain largely abandoned, and 
Washington, DC, is a ghost town. Heads of Agencies have mysteriously 
disappeared without a trace. Even the White House was left in the dark 
when the Secretary of Defense vanished for days.
  I am hearing from folks in Iowa who tried calling Federal Agencies 
for help but didn't hear boo. A nonprofit serving vulnerable, disabled, 
elderly, and other Iowans in need contacted my office, frustrated by 
the growing delays that organization is experiencing dealing with the 
Social Security Administration. The executive director tells me that 
prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the response time from the local Social 
Security office was just a few days at most but that now it takes weeks 
and even months to get a call back. Some of the folks the nonprofit 
serves have gone without benefits as a result of unreturned phone 
calls. Approvals to provide support to others seeking assistance are 
also being delayed.
  The agency's executive director says the lack of communication ``is 
having an impact on the clients we serve and our ability to provide 
quality service'' and that ``they are running us out of business.''
  While the Social Security Administration's headquarters is nearly 
empty, with just 7 percent of its office space being used, these folks 
serving Iowans in need are showing up. Because the support they provide 
is being threatened by the Social Security Administration's 
unresponsiveness, I called on the Agency's inspector general to 
investigate.
  And folks, well, that seemed to do the trick. Almost immediately, the 
phone finally started ringing, and the Social Security Administration 
is once again working with this agency to make sure my Iowans are being 
taken care of.
  Another Iowan who worked for the Department of Agriculture's Food 
Safety and Inspection Services tells me his former colleagues describe 
working from home as ``like being on vacation. Very little work was 
assigned and all they had to do was be available by phone.''
  But according to another whistleblower within the Department who 
contacted me, it is even difficult to get in touch with coworkers. Here 
is some direct quotes from this particular whistleblower:

       On occasions I have gone to USDA headquarters in 
     Washington, D.C. . . . it resembles a ghost town.
       As a supervisor, I can tell you that full-time remote work 
     and extensive telework are negatively affecting productivity, 
     efficiency, and cooperation.

  And yet another:

       Remote work and telework employees are often unreachable 
     and do not respond to simple email questions for hours.

  When I questioned the USDA Secretary recently about these claims, he

[[Page S2680]]

pushed back, insisting his staff are required to be in the office a 
majority of the week. Yet, according to the nonpartisan Government 
Accountability Office, nearly 90 percent of the office space in USDA's 
headquarters is sitting idle and unused.
  Folks, if USDA staff aren't showing up for work in Washington, we 
should put them out to pasture by relocating the Department to Iowa.
  With the spring planting season upon us, I know farmers and ranchers 
would appreciate some helping hands from USDA's experts in the field--
literally, in the field, tilling the dirt and pulling the weeds.
  Growing up on a farm, I can tell you that is what we in Iowa call 
``working from home.'' But in Washington, working from home apparently 
means having a field day. That is why I have asked the USDA's inspector 
general to investigate and track down the location of these ghost 
employees.
  I have also heard similar stories from folks who work for other 
Federal Agencies--like the employee who hasn't even seen their manager 
in weeks--as well as other Iowans experiencing the same frustrating 
lack of responsiveness.
  Folks, enough is enough. It is time for Washington to get back to 
work, and I need your help to make that happen. The bureaucrats may not 
be showing up or interested in answering your call, but I am. So if you 
are trying to get in touch with a government Agency and keep getting 
ghosted, ``Who you gonna call?'' Right there, folks, right there--202-
224-3254--or if you are working in a government building all alone, 
pick up the phone and call. I want to hear from you and other 
government whistleblowers. Together, we can be ghost busters and make 
Washington work again by getting the bureaucrats back to their old 
haunts ``cuz I ain't afraid of no ghosts.''
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Carolina.