Staff Reports
House Republicans are up in arms over the Small Business Administration’s “ridiculous” work-from-home policies post-COVID-19, demanding the agency spill the beans on teleworkers’ pay and status. In a letter acquired exclusively by the Washington Examiner, House Small Business Committee Chairman Roger Williams and Rep. Mark Alford slammed the SBA, accusing them of dragging their feet on a return to in-person work plan and taking advantage of a perk that small business owners could only dream of.
#EXCLUSIVE — House GOP lawmakers slam Small Business Administration for ‘extreme’ work-from-home policies https://t.co/2LCaYyU4wP https://t.co/2LCaYyU4wP
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 28, 2024
“The COVID-19 circus has left town, and it’s high time the SBA showed up to work in person,” Williams declared, adding, “The SBA’s job is to help Main Street, not worry about folding the laundry while working from home.”
The Congressmen were further irked by a report from the Government Accountability Office indicating that the SBA was using a mere 10% of their office space, allowing employees into the office just five days every two weeks. This info didn’t sit well with Williams and Alford, who asserted that it’s been nearly a year since the COVID-19 emergency ended, yet the SBA is still dragging its feet on returning to the office.
Adding fuel to the fire, the members highlighted the SBA’s whopping $42 million rent request for fiscal 2025, a hefty 30% increase from 2023. They found SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman’s testimony regarding the agency’s 50% occupancy rate hard to swallow, especially after they strolled through the SBA’s headquarters and saw rows of deserted desks.
In their demand for answers, the committee is seeking the SBA’s action plan for returning to in-person work, the average number of telework days per pay period, and the percentage of employees who spend entire pay periods working from home, among other juicy details.
House Small Business Committee Chairman Roger Williams has been relentless in his efforts to hold President Biden’s feet to the fire when it comes to protecting small businesses. In February, he fired off his third letter to the president, urgining him to fill a long-vacant position that represents small-business owners. The agency has been operating without a chief counsel for advocacy for the past six years.
