In The News

“The world is run by those who show up.” I agree with this statement, except in today’s Washington.  A recent report by the Federal Times estimated only one in three federal workers has returned to working in the office full time.  Meanwhile, seniors in Southwest Michigan are waiting for assistance with their Social Security, veterans are experiencing delayed access to their records, and scores of taxpayers are still waiting for returns to be processed and refunds to be issued from last tax season. This is completely unacceptable. 
 
The federal government must do a better job serving the American people. In order to improve response times for taxpayers and to remind the bureaucrats who they actually work for, Republicans in the House took action. Earlier this month, we passed H.R. 139 - the Show Up Act.  This common-sense legislation would make serving the American people a priority by requiring federal agencies to return to 2019 pre-pandemic telework levels until government agencies submit a telework plan to improve overall productiveness.

According to a recent report by the Office of Personnel Management, 47% of federal workers teleworked in Fiscal Year 2021. That marks a two percent increase over Fiscal Year 2020, the year the pandemic struck. The Show Up Act would also require federal agencies to submit a study to Congress within six months detailing how pandemic-era telework levels impacted their missions, including the negative impact it had on customer service and network security.

The American people deserve a government that shows up to work for them. That is why when House Republicans gained the majority, we ended proxy voting and made sure members of Congress showed up in-person to vote. Now, we have taken this next step to restore accountability, reopen federal government offices, and make sure the 2.1 million civilian federal employees are helping seniors, veterans, and taxpayers access the services they need.

My top priority is serving Southwest Michigan. If you need help navigating a federal agency, please visit Huizenga.House.Gov or call my office in Holland at (616) 251-6741 or Washington at (202) 225-4401 so we can assist you.
This column originally appeared in the Tri-City Record on February 23, 2023