Two
years ago this month, things started shutting down due to COVID.
In
March 2020, employees were furloughed or sent to work from home. Schools were
closed. Events were cancelled and everyone was told to stay home.
Now
two years later, a lot has changed in the fight against COVID.
Tests
and treatments have been developed. Anyone who wants a vaccine can get one.
High
quality masks are available free for anyone who chooses to wear them.
These
masks protect the one wearing it regardless of the choices others around them
make.
Restaurants,
theaters and sports venues are filling back up. Demand for air travel is above
pre-pandemic levels.
Yet,
our federal government remains frozen in time, operating as if it were still
the spring of 2020.
Federal
agencies remain shuttered to the taxpayers that fund it.
Expensive
office buildings in downtown DC are sitting deserted. 50 percent of the
executive branch workforce is still working remotely, and most have no plans to
return to the office.
Some
agencies such as the VA had previously announced efforts to return to in-person
work. Those plans have been indefinitely postponed.
The
U.S. Capitol Building is closed to the public, despite nearly every state
capital building in the country finding a way to reopen.
Federal
employees are here to serve the taxpayers. Agencies like the VA, IRS and Social
Security Administration that are responsible for processing benefit claims and
tax refunds need to be fully operational, plain and simple.
The
USDA Farm Service Offices, located in every Iowa county, are responsible for
signing up farmers for the Conservation Reserve Program and crop insurance.
Right
now, county offices are the busiest as farmers prepare for the upcoming crop
year. These county offices still require employees to work from home.
USDA
employees have to meet with farmers to go over detailed maps of their land,
making it nearly impossible even with video calls.
I’ve
received letters from farmers and USDA employees alike who are frustrated they
can’t have in-person meetings.
Backlogs
persist across the federal government and show no signs of abating.
The
National Personnel Records Center, responsible for providing service records to
veterans seeking benefits, has not been fully staffed since March 2020.
They
have a backlog of records requests so massive that it will take years to
correct. For two years now, the agency has been processing emergency requests
only, while the other requests just pile up.
This
agency needs employees in the office to function. They are currently staffed at
just 25 percent capacity.
They
have announced they will not return to full operational status until “the
public health emergency has ended.” Who knows when that will be?
I
guess veterans waiting to finish their applications for benefits will just have
to wait.
The
IRS only answers nine percent of customer support calls.
They
are already warning that this tax filing season is going to be a mess for those
filing, and there is still a backlog of unprocessed returns from last year.
Yet, thousands of IRS employees remain out of the office.
Those
trying to become US citizens have been stuck in limbo for years. Records that
USCIS needs to process their applications are locked in the Federal Records Centers,
which are only open at 25 percent capacity.
Even
the few agencies that have announced a plan to return to in-person work are not
acting with a sense of urgency. The Social Security Administration announced
the reopening of field offices in April.
I
guess they figure those who have already been waiting for two years can wait
another few months.
My
staff that help Iowans with casework told me that the average number of days to
get assistance from a federal agency has doubled to 335 days.
It
takes almost a year to get an issue with a federal agency resolved. This is
completely unacceptable.
In
the spring of 2020, it seemed as if there was no choice. Caution at that time,
was warranted.
But
might I remind the heads of federal agencies that even at that time, millions
of Americans did not work from home.
Nurses,
doctors and first-responders still went to work in person. Employees of grocery
stores, delivery drivers and warehouse workers still showed up to work in
person.
For
millions of Americans, working from home was never an option. Their jobs were
essential, and they continued to work to keep our society functioning.
While
some federal employees may be able to do their jobs effectively from home, the
persistent lack of responsiveness from federal agencies make it clear that not
all can.
It
is not acceptable to tell taxpayers that they must wait for services that they
need because those in charge are too skittish to make a return-to-work plan.
It’s
past time for agency heads to set a date for employees to return to serving the
people in person.
That’s
why I was proud to join Senator Wicker in introducing the RETURN Act, which would require agencies to share their plans to
bring back the workforce within 30 days. I urge my colleges to support this
bill and get the government back to work.
I
also urge President Biden to follow the example of Iowa’s Governor Reynolds and
show leadership on this matter.
Iowa
schools have been fully open in Iowa for a year. Governor Reynolds has ended
the state’s Public Health Disaster Emergency Proclamation.
This
doesn’t mean ignoring the spread of COVID-19 going forward. Of course there
should be accommodations for those at high risk.
But,
there is no justification for maintaining a state of emergency as though it was
still March 2020.
Taxpayers
have a right to a responsive government.
Most
Americans are back to work.
It’s
past time for the federal government to catch up.
