Lawmakers Target Federal Telework… Again

House appropriators again took aim at federal telework programs before leaving town for the July Fourth recess.

House Republicans added report language to the fiscal 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill that would require agencies to publicly post how many employees telework in Washington, D.C., and office space utilization rates in the area. The bill also directs the Department of Health and Human Services to report how many employees receive Washington-area locality pay, but have not reported to a D.C. office more than one day per week in the past year.

The report language is directed only toward DC area teleworkers. The representatives authoring this provision exempted their own constituents.

“The more telework an agency is able to grant, the less office space taxpayers need to pay for,” National President Doreen Greenwald told Federal News Network. “It is time to accept the data that telework works and focus on funding the government.”

The subcommittee advanced the bill last week. NTEU will continue to vigorously defend federal telework programs as the appropriations process continues.