February 3, 2023

Getting Washington Back to Work

Friend, 

Wisconsin has returned to normalcy - it's time for Washington, DC to do the same. In an effort to catch Washington up with where the rest of us already are, I supported two pieces of legislation this week to end the national emergency declaration and to end permanent telework for Federal employees in Washington, DC. 

The first vote would require the President to end the COVID-19 national emergency declared on March 13, 2020. Almost three years later, as our country has fully reopened and workers have returned to work, I believe it is time to end this national emergency and return to normal. Here are three key reasons I supported this bill:

• There are 1.9 jobs available for every worker. That means we can help workers get back to family sustaining jobs now that the pandemic has ended and our country is open.
• Roughly two billion taxpayer dollars will be saved by ending the public health emergency. I remain committed to cutting wasteful spending in Washington in order to bring down costs. 
• This ends the President’s ability to override federal law.

The second bill would end the Federal Government's reliance on telework. Many Federal Agencies are very behind on work. Right now, federal employees in Washington, DC represent the highest work from home rate out of any major city across the country. This legislation would do three key things: 

• Requires Federal agencies to return to pre-pandemic telework levels from 2019
• Requires Federal agencies to detail how telework evels have impacted their service to Americans - including customer service, network security, and costs for property
• Prevents Federal agencies from permanently expanding telework without submitting to Congress how telework will improve agency performance and lower costs

Our government must be available and accessible to you. By failing to show up to work in person, veterans benefits are being delayed, taxpayer refunds are delayed by the IRS, Social Security & Medicare recipients are experiencing delays, and more. In working with federal agencies, my office has experienced delayed responses from the federal government, impacting my ability to quickly help you. I'm committed to ensuring our federal government remains available and accessible to you. This requires us to return to normal operations and end the pandemic restrictions implemented almost three years ago. 

I'd like to hear your thoughts on these pieces of legislation. 

As always, feel welcome to contact my office for assistance or to share an opinion. 

On Wisconsin,

Bryan Steil
Member of Congress

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