Commentary: After Telework Surge, Federal Buildings Remain Largely Empty

Empty Office

More than two years after the Biden administration called on all federal agencies to create plans to bring employees who teleworked during the COVID pandemic back to the office, the vast majority of Washington, D.C.’s federal buildings are still sprawling expanses of empty, echoing hallways and offices. 

In fact, 17 of 24 federal agencies use an estimated 25% or less of their headquarters’ office capacity, according to an updated survey by the General Accounting Office, a government agency that provides auditing and investigative services for Congress. 

Read More

Sen. Joni Ernst Releases List of Federal Agencies with High Employee No-Show Rates Post-COVID

Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA)

With Christmas fast-approaching, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa put out a “naughty list” of government agencies that have high no-show rates of employees who have not returned to the office after the COVID-19 pandemic ended.

According to Ernst’s list, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Social Security Administration top the list with just 7 percent office occupancy rates.

Read More

Social Security Recipients to Get a 3.2 Percent Benefits Increase in 2024

The Social Security Administration announced Thursday that benefits will increase 3.2% in 2024 for the country’s over 70 million recipients. 

This will result in the average monthly check for a retired worker to rise to $1,907. That’s up $59 from $1,827 this year, according to Forbes.

Read More

Pennsylvania State Senators Propose Withdrawal from Multi-State Voter-Data System

Pennsylvania State Senators Cris Dush (R-Bellefonte) and Jarrett Coleman (R-Allentown) are preparing legislation to withdraw the commonwealth from the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). 

Over two dozen states and the District of Columbia participate in the election data-sharing system which they use to identify errors in their voter rolls. But seven states — Alabama, Florida, Iowa, Ohio, Louisiana, Missouri and West Virginia — recently cancelled their membership in the program. 

Read More

Election Integrity Storm Brewing in Pennsylvania: Over 250K Ballots Sent to Voters with Unverified I.D.

More than 250,000 ballots have been mailed to Pennsylvania voters without their identities being verified, according to state data collected by election integrity group Verity Vote.

On Tuesday, 15 Pennsylvania state legislators sent a letter to acting Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Leigh Chapman regarding unverified ballots sent to voters. As of Thursday, state data show that more than 250,000 ballots have been mailed to voters without verifying their identification.

Read More

Social Security Now Allowing People to Choose Their Own Gender

The Social Security Administration will allow people to self-select their sex on social security documents without providing legal or medical documents to verify their sex, according to a Wednesday announcement.

The agency will accept individuals’ self-identification regardless of whether it matches their other documents and will supply Social Security cards accordingly, the agency announced. The move comes amid a push from the Biden administration to facilitate gender transitions and help transgender people change their sex on government records more easily.

Read More